Fremione and the Weasleys
by moonfairy13
Summary: One Saturday morning, Hermione Granger learned of an impending marriage law that could lead her to be paired with a Death Eater. Within an hour, Fred Weasley had - with George's help - declared his love and offered his hand. A happy story of Fred & Hermione's wedding and honeymoon amidst the Weasley family and then beyond, including another Weasley romance and a surprise or two...
1. The Line-Up

"What are we going to do?" asked Harry, pulling Ginny into his lap on one of the overstuffed armchairs that sat either side of the fire. He looked up at the four Weasley brothers who had followed them into The Burrow's living room. Charlie and Ron sat at opposite ends of the sofa, while Fred and George positioned themselves against the wall, leaning towards each other like overgrown human bookends.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" said Ginny. "The marriage law is immutable. As a muggle-born witch, Hermione has to marry a Pureblood wizard before the end of the summer. The news will be released first thing Monday, so she has until tomorrow evening to register a suitable engagement with the Ministry and avoid being affected by the law. And if she doesn't, there's a danger she'll find herself paired with one of the remaining death eaters."

She stared at the row of brothers in front of her. "So we're agreed? One of you needs to marry her."

"Unreal," said Ron, shaking his head. "I can't believe Percy didn't warn us sooner."

"The fact that he managed to give me this much notice is brilliant," sighed Hermione as she entered the room, carrying a pottery mug of hot chocolate in one hand and a plate of warm biscuits in the other. "Your mum says they're only just out of the oven, by the way." She placed the biscuits on the coffee table and sat back in the empty armchair, watching the redheaded men jokingly elbow each other out of the way as they reached for the treats.

Ginny turned to her best friend with a smile.

"We'll make it OK, 'Mione. If there's truly no way out of it, like you say, we'll make you a Weasley and protect you that way. No-one's going to do anything bad to you ever again."

Ginny glanced at Hermione's arm, not wanting to remember how the young witch had been tortured during the war. They had all been through such difficult times, losing beloved friends and for a while not knowing whether Fred would come out of the coma he had ended up in after a wall had collapsed on him. It seemed so unfair that, just as peace was beginning to settle, the falling magical birth rate had led to the passing of a new law ensuring the procreation of children and the intermingling of different types of magical blood. It was even less fair that Hermione Granger, war heroine, was in imminent danger of becoming a pawn in the politics of the Ministry of Magic. No, Ginny thought. We can stop this.

"OK," said the redheaded witch, sitting up straighter in her own fiancé's lap and looking at her brothers determinedly in turn. "Hermione's decision. Who's going first?"

"'Mione," Charlie began, settling back on the sofa. "I'll gladly marry you if you'd take me. You're funny and clever; I love talking to you. Reckon we'd get on brilliantly, so if you think I'm the Weasley for you, I will drop down on one knee right now and carry you off into the sunset when I go back to the reserve after mum's solstice dinner."

He rubbed the stubble on his cheek, pausing for a moment. "I don't have any experience of long-term relationships, though. Unless they're with dragons. I'll try my best, but I ought to be honest with you about it, love."

Hermione chuckled, and the tension in the room dropped a notch or two.

"Charlie, I love you. And if my new husband, whoever he may be, ever cheats on me, then I'm coming straight to you for a torrid affair under the Romanian stars, OK?"

Charlie laughed loudly. "Fine by me, lovely. That I can do."

"But stop worrying," she continued. "I don't want to marry anyone who doesn't truly want it. That's why I don't know if we should even continue…" She looked at the assembled boys. It wasn't fair that this was happening, and it wasn't fair that one of them had to give up their chance at love to protect her. It was too much, too sudden. She sipped her hot chocolate, pondering what to do.

"It's OK, 'Mione" said Ron, reaching out his hand towards her, offering a level of reassurance and maturity that he wouldn't have been capable of before the war took so many of those they cared about. "I'll marry you. You and I make more sense than you and any of these guys. I know it didn't work out so well when we went out after the final battle, but we can figure it out if it protects you from a death eater, right?"

"Ron…" Hermione struggled to decide what to say next. "I love you as well, but as a friend. We'll never make the right kind of sense for a marriage. Not a happy one. And I've seen the way you look at Luna. I'm not getting in the way of your happiness. But thank you." She sighed.

Ron looked as if he was going to argue, but closed his mouth as he felt George's hand on his shoulder.

"Hermione," started George. "If you choose me, then I will love you to the best of my ability and for the rest of my life."

His eyes locked upon hers as he took a deep breath.

"But I would be doing you a massive disservice if I didn't tell you the truth. And the truth is that I have a brother who has been in love with you since fifth year. You ought to know that before any of us get any deeper into this conversation."

Hermione's eyes flicked to Ron's, and found her confusion reflected in his.

"Not your fifth year," George continued. "His fifth year".

Hermione felt even more confused. That didn't make sense. She and Ron had been in the same year at Hogwarts. So George had to be talking about another brother. But how could that be? She couldn't dare hope that it was the Weasley brother for whom she had held a torch for six years; the brother who had once lent her his – well technically George's – old Christmas jumper when she grew cold watching them play quidditch behind The Burrow one bright autumn day; the brother who she secretly watched, hoping but never really believing that he might see how she had grown up since her days of lecturing them about their pranks. On this day of ill wind, she surely couldn't be that lucky?

A movement to her right caught her attention and brought her out of her reverie, as Fred shifted his weight and opened his mouth to speak. His chance was lost, however, when George cast a spell which silenced him.

"Freddie," he spoke softly as he looked at his twin. "The time is now, mate. If there was ever a time, it's now. But I'm going first so you can't bollocks it up. Forgive me."

"George?" said Hermione. "What's going on?"

"If you picked me, I would love you well, 'Mione. Really, I would," George continued, running his fingers through his hair. "And Ron or Charlie would treat you right too, I know they would. Heck, we all already love you as a sister; we always will. But please, pick Fred. Fred will treasure you, unconditionally and forever."

Hermione swallowed. Could it really be true? The tall, funny, gorgeous man she had wanted for as long as she could remember … could he really be interested in her too? She wanted to look at him, so badly, but she just couldn't do it; she was afraid she might be misinterpreting George's words.

"He's been in love with you for years. Have you never noticed how he watches you when you're tucked up on the sofa with your nose in a book?"

Hermione's eyes widened as she listened to George. She shook her head.

"Never wondered who used to cover you with blankets when you fell asleep studying in the common room? Godric, he'd do anything to make you happy and, bugger me, I'm sounding like a right sap here, so can you please just look into his eyes instead of mine and see for yourself?"

Hermione swallowed again and slowly turned her gaze to Fred. The elder twin was still unable to speak, thanks to George's spell, but he took a couple of steps towards Hermione, bowed, and reached his hand out towards her. He waited silently until she stood, took his hand in both of hers and leaned her face into it so that he could tangle his long fingers into her curls. She let out a breath that she hadn't realised she'd been holding. Ginny squealed and Hermione heard her whisper, "I knew it; mum's gonna be beside herself" into Harry's ear before the dark-haired wizard laughingly told her to shush.

"Is it really true?" Hermione asked, now not moving her eyes from Fred's.

"Totally and utterly," George helpfully continued. "He's crazy about you. You'd be doing me a massive favour if you took him off my hands. 'Part from anything else, he might be able to concentrate better when he's making daydream charms, rather than imagining moonlit broomstick rides with you cuddled between his thighs."

As George began to gesticulate wildly with his arms, pantomiming his lovesick brother flying on an imaginary broom while kissing the air, Charlie and Ron's laughter took his attention, allowing Fred to cast a non-verbal spell. George immediately grabbed his behind with one hand and turned when he felt the stinging hex his now blushing twin had sent towards it.

"Please," Fred mouthed to George, pointing to his throat. George immediately undid the silencing spell, nodding with encouragement.

"Go on then, mate."

"It's true," Fred said, looking back to Hermione and searching her eyes for a reaction to the revelations. "I was scared to tell you. Scared you wouldn't feel the same and things would change. But Georgie's right. I would treasure you. I've wanted to be with you for a long time. Is there any chance you'd be OK with that?"

Tears filled Hermione's eyes.

Confusion filled Fred's.

She saw his reaction and now it was her turn to cradle his cheek in her hand.

"No," she smiled. "They're happy tears. I've been crazy about you since you lent me your jumper. It smelled like amortentia did in potions class, and I realised then that you were the wizard I wanted. But I was scared too. I was worried you'd reject me. I'm not exactly –"

"Bloody hell," said Ron, while Charlie snorted loudly. "So you've been in love with each other for years, and both been too scared to do anything about it? How the heck did the Sorting Hat let you into Gryffindor?"

Hermione laughed softly. "Good question, but I can't worry about that now. I've got a decision to make. At least I think I have," she faltered, looking at Fred. "Have I?"

George, whose bum now seemed fully recovered, stepped forward and nudged his twin in the back of the knee, urging him to drop into the time-honoured position. "Go on then," he said. "Or do I need to do this bit for you as well?"

"I think I'll be alright from here thanks, mate," winked Fred, before turning back to Hermione.

"Gorgeous and brilliant Hermione, witch of my dreams," he began. "I know this probably isn't the proposal you were expecting, and it's rather sooner than we might have wanted, but I do truly care for you. I think I might even love you, and I can't bear the thought of you marrying any of these gits," he waved his arm in the direction of his brothers, "let alone a death eater, and I can't imagine anyone I would rather dive into this crazy situation with. Will you marry me?"

Hermione leaned forward and kissed his lips softly.

"Absolutely," she breathed. "But you need to know one thing first."

Fred cocked his head. "What's that then?"

"Anything less than the level of devotion George has promised, and I'm off to Romania to have that affair with Charlie."

"Alright then," he laughed. "How about we start tonight? I know a cosy restaurant where we can have supper by the sea and then a moonlit broomstick ride home? We'll make a quick stop at the Ministry on the way to get the paperwork filed."

"That sounds just perfect." Hermione smiled into Fred's lips as he turned his head and captured her mouth more fully. He teased her lips with his tongue before weaving both of his hands into her hair and pulling her back down into the armchair with him. Before she snuggled down into Fred's lap, she reached out for George's hand and gave it a squeeze. He leaned down to her ear. "You're welcome, love," he said. "But if I were you, I'd sneak away soon before mum gets wind that you're finally going to be a Weasley."


	2. Fear of Flying

"Why didn't you say something at the time?" Ginny said kindly, taking Hermione's hand.

"I mostly heard 'cosy' and 'supper' and 'moonlight' and 'kiss'," replied Hermione, in a quiet voice. "Not 'broomstick'."

"He definitely said broomstick," said George cheerfully, walking into his sister's bedroom. "It's been Fred's fantasy forever. You in his arms, between his legs, leaning back into his chest, riding off into the sunset together. I ought to know; I've heard it A LOT – ".

Harry looked up from a chocolate frog card that he was attempting to fold into a tiny cardboard aeroplane. "Did he even say kiss? I don't remember kissing being mentioned?" He raised his eyebrows and grinned, causing Hermione to respond by sticking her tongue out. But she couldn't help but let a small smile escape, and Harry felt cheered that he had helped her feel a bit better.

"I said kiss. But he'll have been thinking it, so same thing really." George winked at Hermione as he settled himself on the bed beside her and rubbed her back. "He's an expert flyer. You're gonna be fine, Hermione."

"I'm going to be terrified," she told him, turning to face him. "What will he think of me? I can't ruin his fantasy by being all scared and wobbly. He's coming back at two and I need to be ready for our first date."

George took Hermione's hand in his own. "Are you really that worried, love?"

She nodded.

"Fred's crazy about you. He won't mind if you want to apparate to the restaurant instead. Just tell him."

This time, Hermione shook her head.

"No. I want to do this for him. I mean, he's going to marry me just to protect me from the marriage law, and I can't believe my luck. I've loved him for years. I want tonight to be perfect." She lifted her chin, in determination. "No. Somehow, between now and two o'clock, I need to get over my fear of flying." Then she looked around at her friends. "Help!" she squeaked, happily able to laugh at herself even while truly worried. "Can anyone help?"

Ginny and Harry looked at each other and laughed. "You're joking, right?!" said Harry. "You've got more than half of a Gryffindor quidditch team at your disposal. Two seekers, a beater, a keeper and my favourite chaser…"

Harry's favourite chaser reached over for Hermione's hand. "Of course we'll help!" she said. "Come on, you…"

Ten minutes later, Ginny, Harry, Charlie, George and Ron were all striding towards the meadow, broomsticks in hand. Hermione walked beside Ginny; still not entirely sure that this was a good plan. She glanced at her friend, but thought better of saying anything. Ginny was a fearless flyer, and Hermione wasn't sure if she would truly understand how daunted Hermione felt by the idea of being off the ground and out of control.

Ron stopped first, as they reached the near end of their homemade quidditch pitch.

"Alright, let's go," he said. Within seconds, he had mounted his broom and begun to fly a wide figure of eight around his siblings and friends.

"Who would you like to ride with?" asked Ginny. "None of us will take it personally. What feels right for you?"

Hermione took a deep breath. This might be an even harder decision than when she had been asked to pick a Weasley man to take for her husband earlier that day, after Ginny had offered Hermione any of her brothers in order to save her from being promised in marriage to a stranger. But her favourite Weasley man, Fred, wasn't an option right now. He was having coffee with a friend in Diagon Alley and finding out how they should register their intention to marry before the law was formally announced.

"Do you trust George?" asked Charlie. "He's the same shape as Fred, so it might make it easier later if it feels more familiar. Not that I'd mind you sitting on my broomstick if you'd rather -". Charlie winked at Hermione and gestured to the space between his legs.

"George will be just fine, thank you," grinned Hermione, pretending to smack Charlie. In response, Charlie turned and stuck his bottom towards her. "Anytime you want, 'Mione…" He took off in a graceful curve, lifting his broom towards the sky and chuckling to himself.

Hermione laughed too, grateful for anything that would help take her mind off what was about to happen.

"We're right here, 'Mione," said Ginny. "See you in the air!" She took off too, with Harry following right behind her.

Hermione walked slowly towards George and climbed carefully onto the broomstick that he was holding. As he tipped it back to let her settle, Hermione realised that the length of his legs meant that hers were already off the ground. George put his left arm around her waist, urging her to move closer to him.

"I'm not gonna get as cosy with you as Fred will," he winked at her, "but you'll probably feel safer if you don't leave quite so much air between us."

"OK." Hermione wiggled further backwards, closer to the man who she suspected might soon become her favourite brother-in-law. George was displaying a gentleness that she hadn't previously paid much attention to, but that she very much liked. Her mind drifted into the future, imagining tiny redheaded babies and thinking that perhaps George and Fred were going to be better dads than she might previously have given them credit for. Then she shook her head, not quite sure where that thought had come from.

"Pop your hands here and here," he showed her, adjusting her position a little. I'm going to put my right hand in front so I can steer, and I'll keep a tight hold of you with this arm and then you can't ever fall. Even if you wanted to."

"I will not want to fall, George! That's what I'm worried about!" She had turned her head so she could give him a stern look.

"Well then you won't, lovely. Stay calm." His voice was low and soft, as if he was talking to one of the tiny puffskeins that he and Fred were breeding for their store. "Look, I'll put a sticking charm on you like Bill and Charlie used to for Ginny, when she was really little but didn't want to be left out of quidditch games." He raised his wand, spoke the incantation and then tucked it back into its holster. "OK?" he asked.

"Maybe," she replied.

"That'll do for now. Look, I'm just going to hover a bit higher off the ground. Just a few inches, you're OK."

Hermione shook her head, now talking quietly to herself rather than George. "I don't know if this is right."

George looked puzzled. "What's wrong, love?"

"A bit of me thinks I need my first time to be with Fred. I know it sounds crazy…"

"We're still talking flying, right?" George winked suggestively, and Hermione blushed.

"Yes, we are."

"And do other bits of you think different things?" George searched Hermione's eyes with his own.

"Hmmm … maybe," she said, a bit warily, not sure whether she was going to find herself the butt of his laughter.

"Tell me," he said softly. "I want to understand you better. We're going to be spending a lot of time together, and I want to be a good husband-in-law."

"Husband-in-law?" Hermione tried to frown, but was unable to suppress a laugh.

"Sure," George said, nodding. "Fred and I are closer than normal brothers."

"Well … a bit of me thinks maybe I should wait for Fred. Another bit of me thinks I should just go for it. I think it would be good to know you better, seeing as you're going to be my husband-in-law." She chuckled. "It is lovely that you're doing this for me, for us. But then I think maybe I'm just thinking because while I'm thinking about that I don't have to think about flying."

George waited a few seconds before nodding.

"So you're not expressly withholding consent?"

"No," she laughed. "Just thinking".

There was a pause before George spoke again. Hermione looked slightly more relaxed as she sat astride the broom, watching him intently.

"What strikes me the most in all of that, love, is how many bits of you are thinking. Not feeling or just being. I don't know how your brain copes with it."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"No," he said, patting her hand. "I'm not taking the piss. Truly, I'm not. I'm just noticing that, well, thinking seems to block other things out for you."

"Like what?" Hermione asked.

"Like the fact that you're not scared right now, are you?"

"Well no, silly," she replied. "But we're not moving yet."

George laughed, and tightened the arm that he held around her waist.

"Love, we've been moving since you said you weren't withholding consent. I wouldn't normally ask permission, but seeing as it was you…"

He stopped speaking as Hermione gasped. She turned her head and saw that they were indeed moving. They had, in fact, slowly circled the quidditch pitch and were now making a shallow climb towards a small wooded area. A movement to Hermione's side caught her attention.

"You're doing it!" Ginny smiled from her left flank, while Harry rode up from her other side and added his congratulations.

"Just breathe," George said into her ear. "I've got you. And Fred will have you later. It's going to be OK."

Hermione took a deep, purposeful breath. And then another. She was surprised to realise that she actually did feel OK. She felt safe with George and realised that the anticipation had been far worse than the actual flying.

"I'm OK!" she smiled back at him.

"Yeah, you're good, love", he laughed. "Look…" he pointed down as they rose a little higher and turned back towards The Burrow, where Hermione saw Molly in the garden. She was holding a basket of some kind in one hand and waving up at them with the other.

"Are you having fun?" Molly called up when they neared the house.

"I actually think I am!" Hermione shouted back. "I just needed someone who could help me feel safe," she said, but this time she spoke quietly. George heard though, and placed a brotherly kiss into the curls on the back of her head.

"You're welcome, love. I'd do anything to make Fred happy, and that means I need to keep you happy too now."

"Fred floo-called!" Molly had used a sonorous charm on her voice so that Hermione and George could hear her even as they flew back towards the quidditch pitch. "He'll be here in a few minutes so you can both go to the Ministry."

"Thank you!" Hermione called back. Molly lifted her hand again in response and then went back to gathering vegetables.

"One more lap?" George asked.

"Yes please," said Hermione.

"Are you ready to drive?" he winked.

"I am not," she smiled back at him. "I don't know if you've heard, but I'm going to marry Fred Weasley. And he's a cup-winning beater, which means I will never need to drive. I'll save my talents for other areas."

George finished their last circle and landed them both gently near the shed, taking his wand in his hand and removing the sticking charm just before his feet touched the ground. The others were now playing some kind of chasing game over the quidditch pitch, which Ron and Harry appeared to be winning.

"Go on, you must be itching to go and have a proper fly," said Hermione, turning around and swinging her leg over the broomstick so she sat side saddle. "Thank you."

She slipped both her arms around George's neck and pulled him towards her. He hugged her back.

"You're very welcome, love." He paused, and Hermione sensed that there was something else he wanted to say.

"Tell me, George," she whispered, looking concerned. "What is it?"

There was a pause, and then he spoke quietly. "Don't hurt him. Please. He's not as tough as you might think."

"Oh Georgie," she brought him closer, whispering into his good ear. "I've loved him for years. I'll take exceptional care of him for you, OK?"

George nodded, not trusting himself to speak anymore. Hermione squeezed him tightly before hopping off the broom.

"Hello, hello, hello," said a voice from behind her. "What's going on here then? Stealing my wife away already?"

Hermione's heart leaped when she heard Fred. George might be in the running to be her favourite of his brothers, but nobody made her feel the way Fred did.

"Just dropping her off ready for your date, mate. Are you sorted?"

"Yup," replied Fred. "Have the details of how we can register our engagement and a dinner reservation for later. Are you ready, love?" He looked at Hermione.

"Thanks to my husband-in-law to be here," she said, laughing eyes looking up at Fred. "I think I am!"


	3. The Ministry of Magic

"So what's the plan then?" Hermione asked Fred as they walked towards The Burrow. She was keen to hear the result of his conversation with Matt, an old friend who now worked in the Ministry of Magic's Department of Family Matters.

"Well, I obviously didn't say we knew anything, just asked Matt about filing the paperwork for a marriage licence. And whether we could do it on a weekend."

"And what did he say?" Hermione asked, stepping out of the way of a rather cross gnome who seemed intent on tripping her up as she passed through the gate to The Burrow's kitchen garden.

"He seemed a bit on edge, I must say," said Fred. "Like he wanted to ask why we were in a rush but didn't want to at the same time."

"Well if he knows or suspects about the impending marriage law, that would make sense. It put Percy in a dilemma. It'll be just as hard for anyone else who works there, I'm sure."

"Yeah." Fred looked thoughtful.

Hermione swallowed. "Do you think this is going to work?"

Fred stopped in his tracks and caught Hermione's hand, swinging her around into his arms. "We're going to make it work, love. I'm not going to let you be unattached on Monday morning and at risk of getting paired with a death eater." Hermione shuddered. "Whatever it takes, we'll be engaged and have a licence to marry." He slid his hand around her back and hugged her to his chest.

"Let's just floo there and see what happens, 'Mione." Fred gave her a quick kiss before taking her hand and leading her towards the house. "Matt said to meet him in his office as soon as we could, and he would see what he could do. He should be off this weekend but he said he would come in for us. Good bloke, Matt."

They didn't stop to chat long to Molly when they entered The Burrow, and she sensed their worry. "Go along with you," she said. "But please let us know what's happening when you can. I'm going to worry til I know."

Fred nodded and Hermione gave Molly a tight hug. "We will. We'll come back here when we're done."

"The Ministry of Magic!" said Hermione clearly as she threw the floo powder, and Fred followed seconds later. As they stepped out of the fireplace into the Ministry's spacious atrium, which was rather quieter than usual, Fred reached for her hand again and led her through a maze of corridors to Matt's office.

"George and I meet him here for lunch now and again to catch up," he said, by way of explanation as to his ability to find his way through the labyrinthine building. "Our hours are much more flexible than his, so we don't mind doing the foot travel time."

Eventually, they reached a large oak door, which was ajar. Fred knocked on it and then pushed it open. "Are you there, mate?" he called.

"I am. Fred…" he shook hands quickly with his old friend before turning to his fiancée. "And Hermione, it's nice to finally meet you in person," said Matt.

"You too, Matt," said Hermione brightly, stepping forward to shake his hand.

"But I'm afraid I'm going to be the bearer of bad news." Matt shook his head. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know when we met earlier, but it turns out that, since yesterday afternoon, there is a temporary ban on marriage licences."

"A ban?" asked Hermione, looking at Fred. This could spell disaster for their plans. Her brain immediately began to consider alternatives. She wondered whether an application for a muggle wedding licence would count, and then realised that, if the Ministry had put this temporary ban in place, it was presumably because they feared exactly the kind of news leak that had led to Fred and Hermione's engagement. They weren't likely to allow that as a loophole.

"Hey," said Fred softly, squeezing her hand. "Earth to Hermione?"

She looked at him, her eyes full of concern. "What are we going to do?"

"We'll find a way," Fred reassured her. Then he turned to his friend. "Is there anything we can do?"

Matt shook his head. "I don't know. All I know is what's on the memo. It was on my desk when I got here after meeting you."

"May I?" asked Hermione, reaching her hand out towards him. Matt handed her the green paper.

Hermione read it very quietly and then smiled.

"We may have a chance," she said. "It says that, as of 4pm on Friday, no marriage licenses are to be allowed except with special permission from the Minister of Magic."

"Kingsley," said Fred.

Matt nodded once. "The very same."

Hermione felt a bit more relaxed. Kingsley was an old friend, a member of The Order of the Phoenix. Surely he would realise the ramifications of this law for Hermione and help her to escape it.

"Thank you so much, Matt, but we need to go right away." As Fred was shaking his friend's hand again, Hermione sent a patronus to Kingsley, asking him where he was and whether she and a friend could visit as a matter of urgency. Kingsley's patronus appeared a minute later, telling them that he was spending the afternoon in his garden and that they were most welcome to join him.

When they apparated over just a couple of minutes later, both Hermione and Fred were amused to find Kingsley seated in a striped deck chair which looked like it had come off the front of a 1960s seaside postcard.

"Your dad isn't the only one who enjoys muggle artefacts, you know," he boomed with laughter at Fred's amused face, shaking the younger wizard's hand before reaching for Hermione's. "Now what can I do for you two?" he asked, flicking his wand at his garden shed and causing two more chairs to fly over and settle themselves onto the freshly mown lawn.

"Well…" began Fred, as he sat.

"We need your help, Kings…" Hermione sat in her own chair and leaned forward. "Is there any way that Fred and I can get a licence to get married? It's a bit urgent. We just tried at the Ministry but apparently we need your permission."

Kingsley's eyes narrowed as he looked from Hermione to Fred and back again, trying to calculate how much they knew. The new marriage law was indeed the reason for the ban, as the Wizengamot had been worried about a leak. And Kingsley suspected that his two young friends were in his garden now precisely because of a leak. But he couldn't afford to have a direct conversation with them about it, in case his – or indeed their – integrity was ever questioned.

He was, however, delighted to see Hermione in front of him, and in the company of a young, good looking and bright wizard who seemed to care for her. He had lost several hours of sleep fearing what the consequence of the new law was likely to be for the brave young woman who had done so much for their world. Mind made up, he held up his finger before speaking slowly.

"We are going to have a very careful conversation now. Nothing can be said that might appear out of order if it came under scrutiny."

Both Hermione and Fred nodded in understanding. They were both bright, and well aware of the implications of what the older wizard was saying. Fred reached for Hermione's hand and held it gently.

"Can I assume that the two of you have been in love for quite some time?"

"Yes, you can, sir," said Fred, relieved that the question was easier than he had feared. "We have actually loved each other for years. But –"

"No! No need for detail," said Kingsley quickly, holding up his hand. "And can I assume that there might perhaps be a good reason why you're wanting to get married in more of a hurry than usual? Take a bit of time to think if you need it."

Hermione looked at Fred, more worried about how to answer this question. She was gathering that Kingsley was trying to find a way to help without incriminating himself, but what possible reason could they find for wanting an urgent wedding licence? Other than the real reason, which of course they couldn't discuss, because they weren't supposed to know about it.

The pause went on for longer than was comfortable. After a couple of minutes, Kingsley stood and announced that, as the June sun was rather hot, he was going inside to get them all some refreshment.

"Fred," hissed Hermione once the Minister was out of earshot. "My mind is blank. What can we say?"

"He knows, love!"

"I know he knows, Fred! And he wants to help. But we have to find a reason; provide a justification that he can use to give us a license. But we need to think! Why can't we wait a few more days for a licence? It's not like we want to get married right away ... we just need to register our intention so I won't be affected by the law."

Kingsley strode back down the garden with a tray holding a pitcher of drinks and glasses. He looked at the two of them and announced that he had a thought to share.

"Is Charlie home for the solstice, by any chance?" Kingsley asked them.

"Yes," said Fred and Hermione at the same time.

"And Bill and Fleur? Where are they?"

"At Shell Cottage, but I'm sure we could floo them if we needed to."

"You will need to, but Charlie's the key. That and the fact that this is the midsummer holiday weekend."

Hermione looked puzzled for a moment, then smiled as she began to understand, and then almost immediately after that looked a bit shocked. Fred watched the emotions flickering over her face and whispered, "what is it, love?" before Kingsley interrupted them again.

"There's only one circumstance in which I'm going to be able to grant you a marriage licence today and get away with it."

Hermione reached for Fred's hand, a determined look in her eyes. Her brain was racing and her stomach filled with butterflies as she realised what Kingsley was going to say. "We'll consider anything," she said. It was true. She wanted nothing more than to be free of worry about the new law and how it would affect her. But that thought was immediately overridden by another. She did want something more. She wanted the man who was in the chair beside her to be her husband and partner. The rest they would figure out together.

"OK then," said Kingsley. "Here's my position. I will sign a special marriage licence for you two today because I understand that, as a member of one of the most tightly-knit wizarding families in England, Fred wants to celebrate his wedding with all of his – and your – loved ones."

Fred nodded.

"And obviously with Charlie on the reserve so much and Ron and Harry in the Auror programme, it's hard to get all you Weasleys together at the same time, so I now understand now why you've come to me as a matter of urgency on the midsummer holiday weekend."

"Damn," whispered Fred. "You're good."

"Thank you for that vote of confidence, Mr Weasley" smiled Kingsley. "But to spell it out, I can't just grant you two a marriage licence. There's no justifiable reason why you couldn't wait til next week for that. No, If you want to go ahead with this, I will grant you a special licence, but it will be for the two of you to get married at The Burrow before sundown tomorrow. I will marry you myself, in front of the entire Weasley family, of course, as that's the reason for the urgency, and there will be a few further conditions."

Hermione nodded, and squeezed Fred's hand. The butterflies had formed a marching band. She had run the gamut of emotions already today, and was no longer sure whether she could even describe what she was currently feeling.

"We'd like to hear the conditions, sir," said Fred, stroking Hermione's hand as she reached for her drink with the other.

"Of course," Kingsley replied. "One, you have a full formal magical bonding ceremony. That means no divorce, not til death do you part and no chance that anyone else can overturn the marriage later."

Hermione nodded. "That makes sense. I'm OK with that. Fred?"

"Of course, love. Wouldn't want it any other way."

If there had been time, Hermione would have kissed him soundly and at length upon hearing that. But Kingsley was continuing.

"Condition two. Not to put too fine a point on it, but the marriage needs to be consummated by dawn on Monday. Then annulment is completely impossible. If you can't agree to that," he looked directly at Hermione. "Then I'm going to have to bid you farewell and obliviate us all."

Both Kingsley and Fred looked a little concerned, and Fred turned to look at Hermione as well. This was all happening unbelievably quickly, and he was worried that Hermione would balk at this condition. He didn't know whether she had any sexual experience and, while he would die before hurting her or pushing her to do something she didn't want to, he could see where Kingsley was coming from. If the Wizengamot somehow found out about this on Monday morning and their marriage hadn't been consummated, it would be a relatively easy task to challenge and annul it if they hadn't sealed it with the physical act that would unite their magical cores and make their marriage sacred.

But Hermione surprised both of the men by laughing. "Stop looking so worried, you two," she told them. "If you think about some of the things I've been through, making love with the man I trust most in the world isn't exactly going to be a hardship, is it?!"

Kingsley loud laugh boomed out again through the garden, bringing with it a sense of relief.

"Condition three will be easy then," he said. "You can only invite immediate family and Order members. We can't afford to have word get out before we're done. And tell anyone who doesn't need to know that it's just a solstice party until they get there. Let's make sure this happens as planned, and that I don't end up with chaos on my hands."


	4. The calm before the planning storm

Everything was happening a bit fast for Hermione, and she wasn't sure when – or if – she was ever going to catch up with the events of the past few hours.

She watched Fred carefully as they walked hand in hand to the bottom of Kingsley's garden. Realising that the young couple probably needed a bit of time to themselves to take everything in, Kingsley had pointed out a large shady tree and told them to help themselves to the bench it sheltered and take however long they needed to before they decided where to apparate to next.

"I'm going to sit back over here and snooze in the sun," he had said. "Stay as long as you like; you won't bother me. Shout if you need anything, and if not then I'll come over to The Burrow tomorrow at two. That was the time on Molly's solstice party invitation, and I think it's best to stick with the original plan. You decide what time you'd like to have the ceremony and just tell me when I get there. I'll be ready when you are. Although," he paused and raised his eyebrows, "the sooner we get you both wed, the sooner we can drink, dance and make merry for the sun."

Then he seemed to remember himself, and placed one of his large hands on Fred's shoulder while taking Hermione's hand into the other.

"I know this might not be ideal. But I'm sure it's for the best. I'm really sure of that." He squeezed Fred's shoulder before looking at Hermione. "You'll need to get wedding rings and a binding cord. Those are the only things that need to be new. You'll get both from Diagon Alley, of course, but if you'd like a quieter experience then I think you'll find that Edwin Jones at Dervish and Banges has a nice range. The rest is optional, though good luck with getting Molly not to bake the largest cake in wizarding England. Is there anything else I can do?"

Hermione surged forward and threw both her arms around the tall wizard's waist. "Oh Kings," she said. "You've done SO much already. No, we're good, thank you." She looked at Fred, who nodded. "But I think we will sit for a few minutes on your bench and gather our thoughts if that's OK with you."

"Of course," he said. Shaking Fred's hand one final time, he turned, saying, "I'm going to send Tilly over with some more drinks."

Hermione smiled and nodded, but only because Kingsley had reassured her the last time she visited that the little house elf was paid well and given regular holidays. Kingsley had omitted to tell Hermione that Tilly chose to spend her holidays at Hogwarts, with her family, where she loved to muck in with food preparation. He would save that conversation for a less eventful day.

They reached the bench and sat down, very close. "Are you really OK with this?" Hermione whispered. It wasn't often that Fred was lost for words and, although she knew he had a more serious – and, she had recently discovered, tender - side, she had never seen it on him for quite this long before.

"I mean, I'm fine with it all, love, but I have to admit it's a bit fast-paced, even for a master of chaos such as myself…"

"Are you sure?" Hermione looked at him intently as they reached the bench and sat down.

"Sure?" he looked confused.

"Sure you want to do this? To marry me? Tomorrow?" she said quietly. "I mean, it's probably not what you were expecting from your day when you woke up this morning…"

Fred pushed himself off the bench and kneeled at her feet.

"Hermione Granger, in case you have forgotten mine and George's declaration of my love this morning, I am truly crazy about you. If I had grown a pair a bit sooner, we might have been together for months by now. If the crazy marriage law wasn't coming about on Monday then it would only have been a matter of time before Georgie found some devious way to get us together. So as far as I am concerned, we are on the exact journey we are meant to be on. Together. It's just that we're on a faster train than I thought we might take. Which is a bit of a new experience, because usually it's me laughing and spelling something to happen faster."

Hermione laughed at that. "Kind of like accidentally getting on a speeded-up Hogwarts Express when we thought we were going to walk there?"

"Yeah, something like that." He grinned at her analogy, and she was relieved to see the big smile on his face. "But tell me, 'Mione … are YOU sure? This kind of marriage can't be undone. You'll be stuck with me for life."

She reached her hand into his hair and pulled him towards her. "I can't think of anyone else I'd rather do this with, Fred. When that wall fell … I was so scared. I knew in that moment that what I felt wasn't just infatuation because you're good looking and charming, or because your jumper smelled right. I felt this tug in my soul and I was terrified. Wasn't sure how I would carry on if you…"

"Shhh, love, it's OK." Fred leaned in and kissed her lips gently. "I'm OK, I'm here. And we're gonna be together. We just need to figure out how to cope with the speed of it all."

Hermione kissed him once more before whispering, "tea".

"What's that, love?"

"Tea. We're British, Fred. We cope and adapt by drinking cups of tea. House falls down? Have a cup of tea. Mad wizard invading the world? Tea. That's how we do it. And maybe a bit of wine now and again. I'm having wine this evening, just so you know. Maybe prosecco if I can get my hands on some. I reckon George or Bill would help me with that if I asked them nicely. They're the best at muggle shopping." She winked at him.

"I've just fallen in love with you even more now I know you can wink under stress, love. And you're right about the tea. Mum will be well up for that."

"Of course she will. She's gonna love making all this happen overnight. I need more time to adjust before we go back there though. Can you send her a patronus? Don't tell her what's happened but let her know everything's OK and we'll be back soon."

"Oh, good thinking, love." Fred did just that, and sent his silvery hyena off to The Burrow with a reassuring message for its occupants. Then he turned back to Hermione. "OK, so we need to go home and tell Mum, get the troops to spring into action, buy rings and a binding cord … what else?"

"You know," said Hermione. "I think we should talk a bit about what we want. For the wedding, I mean. Or don't want. There's lots I don't want, if I'm honest."

"How's that, love?"

"I just want this to be simple. Nothing fancy. Just a normal Weasley solstice party where we happen to get bound in the middle."

Fred nodded. "I know what you mean."

"In a way, this has a silver lining, you know."

"We're escaping the months of planning?"

"Exactly! Which I don't want any more than you probably do."

"No childhood dreams of a fairytale wedding, love?"

Hermione snorted. "What do you think?"

He grinned. "I think I should take you to Hogsmeade for rings and binding cords and give us another half hour's respite before the madness sets in."

"That sounds like a brilliant idea." Fred held his hand out.

"Shall we?"

Hermione smiled and gave George's usual answer of, "we shall," as she took Fred's hand. She was noticing how a little thrill went through her each time Fred touched her, and had just begun to wonder how it would feel to fully be with him that night when the naval-tugging sensation of apparition took over and zoomed them to Hogsmeade.

As they were picking a binding cord and wedding rings, Fred congratulated himself on his taste in witches for the third or fourth time that day. The whole process had taken only minutes, and Hermione was completely unfussy. They agreed on some fairly simple bands – as Hermione pointed out, he was going to continue making potions regularly, so anything really fancy could be problematic – and picked a lovely purple and gold binding cord. As the shopkeeper started to ring up their purchases, Fred turned to Hermione.

"Would you do me a favour, love?"

"Of course," she looked up at him.

"I feel like we ought to take something with us to The Burrow. Seeing as we're going to make everyone work twice as hard as they thought. Could you pop to Honeydukes and pick up a few boxes of chocolates while I sort out here? If we split up for just a few minutes, we'll get back to The Burrow before Mum starts to worry."

She stood on tiptoes and kissed his chin, which was as far as she could reach without him leaning down. "You are just so much more thoughtful than I ever realised, Fred."

"It's temporary, love. Just while we adjust, I'll be driving you nuts with product testing next week…"

Hermione called over her shoulder, "Oh yes, just you try, Fred Weasley. You might find I've got a trick or two up my sleeve as well".

He laughed. When the madness stopped and life became normal again, this was going to be fun. "Do you need galleons?" he called as she walked away.

Hermione tapped the side of her robes. "I have plenty, thank you. You've paid for quite enough already."

"Well it's no more than you deserve," he said, but she had already gone. Clearly the appeal of a spending spree in Honeydukes was even greater than he had realised. He would tuck that knowledge away for a rainy day.

"Don't ring up the total yet mate," he said, turning back to the shopkeeper. "How quickly can you show me your nicest engagement rings?"


	5. Weasley planning mayhem

It was surprising how quickly Molly managed to gather her family around the large wooden table. She had send her patronus to call Ginny, Harry, George, Ron and Charlie from the quidditch pitch, shouted to Arthur to come in from his shed and floo-called Bill and Percy, who arrived quickly, along with Fleur and Penelope. It took Fred only a few minutes to explain the situation to his family, but their initial shock was palpable when they heard how fast things had moved. Fred told the story of how, after Percy's arrival with news of the impending marriage law during breakfast, Ginny had insisted that Hermione needed to choose a Weasley son to marry, which led – with some help from George – to her and Fred realising that they had each secretly loved the other for years. This led to a bit of cheering and cat-calling, which went on for a few minutes before Arthur managed to call for order and explain that, when the new couple had tried to get a marriage licence before the law was enacted, Kingsley had told them that the only possible way forward was to get married the very next day, during the planned Weasley summer solstice party.

Hermione passed round the chocolates that she had brought from Honeydukes, as if they all needed the sustenance it offered as protection from dark magic, dementors or upcoming Ministry laws, while reassuring everybody that the boxes hadn't left her hands and therefore couldn't have been tampered with by Fred or George.

"So we really need your help," said Fred, looking around the table. "We have less than 24 hours. Mum's solstice party invitations said to arrive at 2 and we'd like to have the ceremony at 3. That means we've got the rest of the day to feast, dance and have the party as we intended." He looked at Hermione, his eyes soft. "Neither of us wants lots of fuss, we just need to make sure this happens. For Hermione's sake, and for mine too, because I can't bear to lose her…"

"It's OK, son," said Arthur, as he bit the top off a coffee cream. "We're all here and we'll make it happen. Just make sure you tell us what you do and don't want before we get too excited." He raised his eyebrows and smiled at his wife, who pulled a face which clearly suggested she was trying to pretend that she didn't know what he could possibly mean.

"I need you all to know something too," said Hermione, interrupting the chatter. "I've truly never dreamed about a wedding. I mean, of course I hoped that I'd find a nice man one day, but there's nothing in here," she tapped her head, "that I'm aspiring to. I don't care about colours or favours or any of that stuff. I just want you all with us, and for it all to go smoothly. And as early in the party as possible, so I can relax and know I'm safe."

"Right," said Molly, patting Hermione's arm. "Let's get onto it then. We don't need to worry about food, as that's already taken care of. Our solstice feast will just become a wedding feast. I've already enlisted the second and third best cooks in the family to help me, so no change there."

Hermione looked at Fred and raised her eyebrows, a question on her lips, but she didn't even need to speak before Molly laughed and said, "Percy and Bill. In that order."

Hermione was learning lots about her new family already. Molly looked down at a list that was being written by a charmed quill. Vaguely, Hermione wondered if it was a WWW product, and made a mental note to ask Fred or George later. It seemed to be picking up Molly's thoughts separately from what she was saying. Hermione could definitely do with one of those, and couldn't believe she hadn't already known about it.

"Prototype," George said, leaning over Fred so she could hear him. "Only thing Mum's ever volunteered to test. We'll get you one."

Hermione's eyes lit up and she nodded eagerly as Molly continued.

"And drinks. We'll probably need more than we've got in, and I don't have anything fizzy for a toast." Her quill moved more quickly than ever.

"I'll sort drinks," said George. "That's very much my department. Might enlist Charlie to wizard the bar, he's good at cocktails."

"Oh yes, I am," said Charlie. "Watch this." He picked up his empty mug from the table and held it behind his back with one arm. With a flourish, he threw it over his head and caught it again with one hand while using his wand in the other to lift the teapot and pour himself a second cup of tea. Arthur, Ron and Ginny clapped hard.

"Do me a favour, mate," Fred spoke during the chaos so that only George could hear. "Get me an extra bottle of prosecco for this evening?"

George nodded. "Course, mate."

Molly looked at her list again. "Charlie, Ron, Ginny, Harry, you were on tent and chair set-up duty for the party anyway. Maybe a nice arch, if someone could manage it? A few roses, even? Somewhere for Fred and Hermione to stand, and a table for Kingsley to use if he needs it."

"We're on it, Mum," said Ron.

"No dresses on chairs, please."

Fred looked at Hermione with a question in his eyes.

"Oh, is that just a muggle thing? Well move along then, nothing to see here."

"Dresses? On chairs?" Ron's voice was getting louder, and Hermione could see that a monologue was brewing.

"No really, let's move on please. I'll show you another time." To her relief, Ron spotted the chocolate box heading his way and pulled it towards him to see what was left. He had learned early on in his life that you needed to be fast if you wanted the pick of any food that was going round the Weasley dinner table.

"Dance floor?"

"I'll sort that, Mum." Charlie had sat down again.

"Lovely, thank you. Decorations?" Molly looked at her list again.

"Not yet," Charlie interrupted. "First song thing? I'll get Lee on it if you want something muggle that I don't know."

There was quite a commotion as several suggestions were made, and several Weasleys began to hum or sing to each other.

Fred turned to Hermione. "What would you like, love? We don't really have a song."

"There is one song I like, that makes me think of you" said Hermione. "It's a few years old now. Came from a film called Robin Hood, which I showed you when you and George came to get me from home one time. The villain looks a bit like Snape; remember?"

Fred's eye's widened and he nodded. "I do, love."

George leaned in as well. "The guy who slid down the rope with the girl in his arms?"

"That's the one!" Hermione laughed.

"OK, we'll do that too," Charlie said. "Baggsie I come down the rope first though!"

"I don't need to come down a rope," said Hermione. "I just like the song."

By this point, six Weasleys were now joined in a rendition of the Bryan Adams song, with drumming by Harry, using his and Ginny's wands, and Charlie on air guitar.

"DECORATIONS!" Molly shouted this time, in the hope of getting heard above the din.

"Oh please," said Hermione. "I don't need anything different from what we were already doing. Solstice decorations will be perfect."

"That's a point," said Fred to George.

George raised an eyebrow.

"Easy anniversary. Not likely to forget often."

"Oh, I thought you meant fireworks. But yes." George grinned at Hermione. "And an anniversary party every year!"

Hermione smiled. "Another silver lining. See, Fred, our day is just full of them!"

He leaned in and kissed her. More than half of those around the table tipped their heads and sighed at this display of tenderness. Ginny and Ron pretended to gag.

"He's still my brother, Hermione," said Ron, looking disgusted. "Can you put him down for a bit?"

"Yes," agreed Ginny. "You don't know where he's been!"

Hermione laughed and waved her hand dismissively.

"You might have to get used to it for a while. We're having a full bonding, so you can expect all the magical effects of that for the next few weeks. Feel free to send us home early from family dinners if we're too sickly."

There was a collective gasp.

"But that's –"

"Yeah, forever binding and permanent, dad. We know." Fred covered Hermione's hand with his own. "It was one of Kingsley's conditions, and we're happy to agree. It means, well as long as we complete the bond before dawn on Monday, that nothing can separate us. No law, not even the wizengamot," he finished, more softly.

Arthur nodded. "Makes sense, son. Trust Kingsley to cover the bases for you."

"He's a good man," Percy agreed.

"And he will be rewarded with cake, which is next on my list."

Everyone obediently turned back to Molly.

"I vote chocolate," shouted Ron, raising his hand.

"Lemon drizzle!" Bill and Charlie yelled together.

"Red velvet," said Ginny.

"Don't you think it's up to Fred and Hermione?" asked Harry.

"Hey, whose side are you on?" Ginny poked him, laughing.

"Well it's their wedding!"

"OK, what cake do you two want?" Ginny asked the new couple.

Hermione looked at Fred and shrugged. "I've never met a cake at this house that I didn't like, so it's up to you."

"Then I will whisper my choice to mum later, or whoever is the designated cake maker. That way, there won't be any more dissent before we cut it."

"I don't have a job yet, Molly." Molly smiled as Penelope touched her arm from across the table. "I mean, I'm not an experienced baker, but I imagine you have great recipes? And I'm quite artistic, so you can leave me to get on and decorate once it's out of the oven and cooled."

"Sold," said Molly, pointing to Penelope and then directing her quill to write Penelope's name on her parchment. "This is going well. Now, the boys all have nice dress robes from Bill's wedding that you can wear, if you're both OK with that, but what about your dress?" Molly looked at Hermione.

"I thought I could wear what I wore to the Yule ball," Hermione said.

"Fuck, yeah," Fred whispered to George again. They looked at each other with raised eyebrows, remembering how amazing Hermione had looked that evening. George was a tiny bit glad that Angelina was still working at the shop and hadn't seen his reaction.

"Non, Hermione. You deserve something lovely, even if there's little time, and you should have something Fred hasn't seen." Fleur looked concerned. "Would you let me help you with that? I would like to offer to be your big sister and take care of your clothes and hair and, if you will permit, a little make up. I will plan it all and bring what we will need in the morning." She glanced at Bill, who smiled and nodded at his wife.

"Oh Fleur, I think that would be lovely," Hermione smiled. "Nothing too frilly though?"

"It's your day, chérie. You can veto anything that isn't right for you," the elder witch promised, smiling back.

"Tick that off then." Molly was determined to keep everyone on track. "Now love, the wedding party. Let's start with the easy bit. Best man," she looked at Fred, who immediately scooped George into his arms. George returned the gesture and the two redheaded men sat with their arms around each other and their cheeks pressed together while everyone laughed.

"Stupid question." Molly looked at Hermione and spoke more slowly. "Do you want somebody to stand with you?"

"I'd like Ginny," she turned to her friend, "if you'd like to?"

Ginny beamed. "I would like to very much. And I will sort my dress, so you don't have to think about that. And some flowers for you to hold, maybe? I could co-ordinate with Fleur."

"That would be great, Gin." Hermione was relieved that she didn't seem to have much to do yet. She suspected that might soon change though, if the concerned look on Molly's face was anything to go by.

"This isn't the easiest question, love, but who would you like to walk you down the aisle? I mean…"

Hermione knew what Molly meant. Hermione's parents were still in Australia and, although Kingsley and the head of the Auror Department felt that there would, in time, be every chance that Hermione's parents' memories could be returned, they were clear that more research would be needed before an attempt was viable.

"It's not going to happen," said Hermione, as the noise level dropped to the lowest it had been since the Weasleys had assembled. "Even if there was time – and before you say it, Harry, I know you would do everything in your power to get there and find them – we don't yet have enough information on how best to reverse what I did. And even if we had that, it would be so much for them to take in, and I can't spend time having them try and talk me out of it. I know they wouldn't understand the need for this as quickly as you all have, and I just don't have time to explain." She looked up to see several pairs of concerned eyes, and The Burrow was finally quiet. "I'm OK with it," she nodded. "I thought about it when I was buying the chocolates, and it's the only way to go. I just wish there was a way to record the wedding so I could show them later. Does anyone know if muggles would be able to view a pensieve?"

"I'll collect memories from everyone at the end of the day and find a way make that happen once you've got them back, love," Bill's voice was quiet and determined.

"And Lee!" said George, leaning over Fred to pat Hermione's arm. "I know he's not in the Order, but he was already coming to the party. I'll just tell him to bring his camera along with the music stuff when I pop into the shop to get Angelina later. He doesn't need to know why. I'll just tell him we have some surprises planned and ask him to film everything."

"I understand," said Molly, trying to bring everyone back to the point. "But someone needs to give you away!"

Several of those assembled around the table sat up a little straighter when they heard this. Hermione looked up slowly.

"Oh," said Molly, quickly backtracking. "No, not give you away, I didn't mean that. Of course no-one can give you away."

Hermione was relieved. She didn't have time for an argument about the fact that neither she nor anyone else should be treated like property.

"I'll give Fred away, if that will help? Walk him down the aisle first, to make it fair?" said George. He stood and offered his hand to Fred, bowing slightly as he did.

"I'm not sure you're helping, George," Harry told him from down the table.

"What I mean is, do you want someone to walk down the aisle with you, love?" Molly's voice was wary, still unsure about what was the right thing to say here. "Arthur would love to be a stand-in dad, or maybe Ron or Harry? Or both? I've got lots of spare men, lovely, and some of them can even behave when the occasion calls for it. Or if you want to strike an extra blow for womankind then I'd be happy to help? Hmmmmm?"

Molly had meant kindly, but her words broke the dam that had been holding Hermione's emotions in check and Hermione couldn't help the tears that suddenly began to run down her face.

"Oh Hermione," Molly scooped her adopted daughter to her breast. "This must be so, so overwhelming. Look, come here, with me. Fred, make some fresh tea and then join us in a few minutes in the sitting room please. We're nearly done anyway." She looked around, deciding who to marshal into action. "Charlie, get the apple pie from the oven and there's cream on the side to go with it. Everybody else, stay where you are and enjoy dessert. I'll be back soon."

As Charlie stood, Molly led Hermione gently to a sofa in the next room and sat down beside her.

"I'm so sorry," sobbed Hermione. "I thought I did my tizzing already in Kingsley's garden. I thought I was composed and ready."

"It's really very OK," Molly reassured her. "I think anyone would find this a bit much. But I have to ask … are you sure this is what you want to do, sweetheart?" Molly rubbed Hermione's back.

Hermione nodded. "I'm sure. I really like him, and do want to marry him. And you're all so, so kind. It's just happening so fast. It was overwhelming enough this morning to think we needed to make the decision and get a licence today, but the thought of getting married tomorrow... I just want to wave my wand and stop the world for 24 hours and adjust to things. But I don't know an incantation for that!" She smiled at Molly through her tears.

"I wish I could help, lovely, but I don't know one either." She wiped a tea from Hermione's cheek and hugged her again. "Here's what I do know," she continued. "You haven't stopped since this morning. A long bath might help; you can have a nice soak with another cup of tea and a bit of space to get your head around everything. George gave me the most enormous basket of Wonder Witch products for my birthday which you can help yourself to; they're actually rather yummy."

"I think I would really like that." The tears were still flowing, and Hermione was glad of the release. It had needed to happen for a while. Even before the news came from the Ministry, she had been trying to figure out what she wanted to do and make huge life decisions as well as cope with the aftermath of the war.

"And so you should, especially now you're marrying into the lilac glitteryness of the Wonder Witch empire" said Fred, walking in with a tray of tea. "Shall I come and scrub your back, or would you rather have a bit of time on your own?" He winked, and she laughed through the tears.

"I think on my own, thank you!"

"Fair enough, love." Fred sat down, took Hermione from Molly's arms and gathered her gently against him, stroking her hair. "We are a bit much even when you're in the mood. And today has been a crazy ride even for me."

They sat for a few minutes; Fred cuddling Hermione to his chest while Molly rubbed her back.

"I'm OK," said Hermione, finally. "And I love you all, and I'm so happy everyone's helping. I think it's a good idea if I have an hour to myself though."

"Well that sounds like a plan then. Take your tea and head to the bath and we'll carry on planning and stick faithfully to your requests. I promise. And is there anything that you'd like to do after your bath that would help?" Molly asked kindly.

There was a pause before the younger witch answered.

"I know it might seem selfish, as you're probably all going to be up late doing things to make this happen for us, but all I really want is to go to the restaurant that Fred booked this evening and just have one proper date and some time to talk before we get married tomorrow."

"But that's easy!" Molly exclaimed.

"I feel bad though. I don't have any jobs yet." Hermione looked up at Molly.

"Well that's just silly. You're always helping others, and now it's our turn. We're going to have a lovely time. You're not the only one who likes a bit of planning, you know. I've got my whole family here and I'm going to thoroughly enjoy bossing everyone about and making a wedding happen overnight! We'll all have a lot of fun getting it ready for you, don't you worry. Go and relax, and then maybe you'd like to sit in the garden on a blanket for a bit and read or do some of your sewing before your date with Fred?"

Hermione nodded. "That sounds good." She stood, and Molly gave her one last hug as Fred went back into the kitchen. "Molly?" she said quietly, before pulling away to head up The Burrow's rickety stairs. "I do know who I'd like to walk me down the aisle. But I need your help to make it happen".


	6. Confessions and kisses

Hermione had been in the bath for twenty minutes and felt much better for it. It was amazing, she thought, what a bit of quiet time could do for the soul. She didn't mind at all, then, when she heard a soft knock on the door.

"Mum sent me with more tea. Do you fancy it, or are you tea'd out yet?"

"I'd love it, Gin. Come on in."

The door opened and then closed as Ginny joined Hermione in the bathroom, along with a small tray containing two cups of tea and some biscuits. Hermione laughed softly. "I told Fred we'd get through this on tea."

Ginny grinned. "You will if mum has anything to do with it! But I reckon we'll be hitting the stronger stuff later … Charlie and George are creating a very well-stocked bar!"

Hermione smiled as she used her arms to sit up. "Have you tried this glitterbubble stuff? It's bloody lovely. Sort of engulfs you in bubbles and massages your skin while you lay back. I'd be tempted to marry Fred just for a lifetime's supply of this."

"Not after his body then?" Ginny's eyebrows raised cheekily.

"I know from what you said this morning that you knew I liked Fred. Why didn't you say anything before?" Hermione took a mug from the tray that Ginny offered and carefully placed it on the edge of the bath. "Thanks."

"You are most welcome. And I guess I didn't want to push you. Either of you, really. It's not like you've had that much experience with men, what with everything that's happened, and Fred isn't the player that some people think he is either." Ginny shrugged.

"Really?" Hermione's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Really," Ginny nodded. "They've both been so focused on the shop and then the war." She carefully chose a biscuit. "And I suspected that Fred had been lusting after you for a while. That's why I put them all in a line-up this morning. We didn't exactly have much time, and I hoped it would give him the push he needed."

"Well you and George between you certainly did that!"

"I'm so glad. Now you're really going to be my sister."

"That will be lovely. I need to think hard about whether I want to change my name though, Gin. I'm really torn. It's all I have of them for now."

"Keep it," Ginny said straight away. "Or have both. Fred's not going to care. He knows who you are and that you dance to your own beat. Just tell him."

Hermione nodded. "I've been thinking about things I need to talk to him about on our date."

"Do you want me to run down and nick mum's special quill?"

Hermione laughed. "I am very jealous of the quill, but George says I can have one of my own. No, just things like we'll need to talk about where we'll live and whether I need to get a job right away and –"

"Shit, 'Mione, no wonder you're feeling stressed!"

"I know." Hermione sat up a bit and sipped her tea. Putting the mug down, she poured some shampoo into her hand before lathering her curls and then sinking underneath the water.

"Here, I know what you should try," Ginny's voice sounded distant when Hermione broke the surface of the water again. She was crouched down, reaching into the far recesses of one of the bathroom cupboards. "I have to hide it at the back, because Bill and Charlie both steal it if it's out on the side of the bath, the vain gits." Her voice was muffled, but she suddenly emerged from the cupboard, triumphant. "I've found it!"

"What is it?" Hermione asked.

"Special yummy leave-in hair conditioner potion that leaves your hair smelling like coconuts. You'll love it, I promise," she said, handing the circular pot to her friend.

"Mmmmmmm, yum," Hermione opened it and sniffed before taking a scoop in her hand and working it through her hair.

"Right, now leave it five minutes while you have your tea and then just rinse it. I'm going to bugger off. You're supposed to be having time to yourself, and mum will shred me into wand cores if I stay up here any longer."

"Thanks Gin. For everything."

"You are, again, very welcome," replied Ginny. "And don't fret. We'll have lots of time to make sense of it after. Just have a lovely time with him tonight." Her eyebrows flicked up and down, making her look very much like Fred and George.

A slow smile spread across Hermione's face. "I'm sure I will!"

Ten minutes later, after rinsing the conditioner from her hair and finding that it did, indeed, smell like coconuts, Hermione stepped out of the bath and towelled herself dry. She never had liked drying spells that much, and often preferred to get out of the bath and lie on a towel while reading a book. She called it 'drip drying', and she felt a little sad thinking about how many times she and her mum had laughed at her use of this phrase. She hadn't felt like drip drying today though, having been promised some quilt time by Molly, and she picked up the cotton sundress and fresh underwear that she had grabbed from her bedroom and dressed quickly before looking out of the bathroom window.

Any residual sadness melted as Hermione smiled at the view of The Burrow's back garden. She saw what Ginny had meant about the volume of alcohol. George had clearly returned from his trip to Diagon Alley and a large number of boxes were being pulled from his pocket, enlarged by Fleur and then stacked by Charlie in what was going to be his bar area. Ron was wrangling a large section of canvas to create a roof, Harry was using his wand to move chairs into a formation and Hermione was pleased to note that Ginny had made it through the kitchen and back into the garden without being turned into wand cores. She was creating an archway decorated with roses while having a quiet discussion with Fleur. The sound of chat and laughter bubbled up to the bathroom window, and Hermione breathed in the love. She would be really OK, she knew. She loved this family, and they loved her.

As Hermione left the bathroom and started to cross the landing a few minutes later, a strong pair of arms came around her waist from behind and she gasped.

"Feeling better, love?" Fred's voice was soft in her right ear, and she leaned into him.

"Much. It did me the world of good to just have a bit of time."

"That's good." Fred leaned his face into her hair. "Mmmmm, you smell lovely." Fred pulled her harder against him so that her back was nestled against his front, and one of his hands played across her stomach. "Can't believe you're really going to be mine."

"Nor that you'll be mine," Hermione replied, stroking his fingers.

His free hand reached for a lock of her hair, and he played his fingers through it before moving it to one side. "Can't wait til we're finally, properly alone." He leaned in and kissed her neck, causing tiny fireworks of sensation to begin in Hermione's body.

Hermione's legs felt a bit weak, which she decided must be from the hot bath. She wasn't sure how the bath explained the little moans that were now escaping her lips as Fred continued to carefully place kisses along her neck and down her collarbone as his fingers played over her body, but she decided not to worry about that. Fred gently turned her and moved his mouth lower, his lips making their way towards the neckline of her summer dress as his hands meandered towards her bottom.

"Hey, cheeky," she whispered, threading her own hands through his hair and lifting his head. His eyes were dark and Hermione's heart leapt at the sight of him. She had never felt so wanted.

In one movement, Fred lifted Hermione off her feet. He carried her across the hall to his old bedroom and carefully placed her on one of the beds, kicking the door shut behind them. The other bed, she saw, was covered in an assortment of boxes with the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes logo on them. If her brain had been functioning normally, she might have wondered if they were fireworks for the party. But her brain wasn't functioning normally, because she was still experiencing her own fireworks as Fred lay down beside her and began kissing and touching her again. While trying to speak at the same time.

"There's something," he murmured into her mouth, in between kisses, "that I need to tell you."

Hermione's head tipped back into the bed and she arched her back. She could feel heat pooling between her legs, and her hips were pushing, somewhat against her better judgement, into Fred's. "What is it?"

"Hang on." Fred took a deep breath as if to still himself. He rolled off her slightly, onto his side, and Hermione felt disappointed at the loss of contact with his pelvis. She wanted Fred back on top of her again, between her legs. His hand sort of made up for the loss of his hips though, as it came to rest over her breast, almost unnoticed by its owner.

"Freddie?" she whispered.

"Charlie got me thinking," he said.

"Uh oh." Hermione's eyes were wide, but she was smiling. "I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not."

"It is, because he made me realise there's something I need to say."

"OK," she nodded, wondering where this was going and hoping very much that it was going back to kissing before the heat dissipated.

"I just … well we're having a full bonding tomorrow … and you know what that's going to do? It's going to bind our magic, link us, make us want each other, especially for the first few weeks after we marry, you know that?"

"I know that, Fred. I'm … I'm very OK with that." And she was. She had spent long nights dreaming about how it might feel to have Fred's body next to hers, and she wasn't going to be some blushing bride. Not when she felt this turned on from just a few kisses and a bit of touching.

"Oh me too, love. That's not what I meant. I just, well Charlie just said something and it made me want to tell you before we get married that … well I really want you now. I don't ever want you to wonder if it's the bond making me want you. I want you to know how much I want you."

Hermione had moved her hand to Fred's hip when he rolled off her, and she let it trail now, running her fingertips over the front of his jeans. She could feel him, hard beneath her hand, which she turned so that she could graze her knuckles gently against him.

"I can feel how much you want me," she breathed, leaning forward and capturing his lips for another kiss.

"Oh Merlin, 'Mione," his voice was a little deeper than usual as he leaned forward.

Hermione thought about asking him if he wanted to feel how much she wanted him too, but decided to forgo the long chat for once and instead touched his hand that was on her breast and moved it slightly to ensure that he could feel her hardened nipple with his fingertips. He groaned again. Then she drew his hand gently downwards and placed his fingers over her dress, against her pussy. "I want you too; feel how hot I am…"

With that, Fred couldn't stay still any longer. He drew Hermione's leg up, pulling her back against him. He ground his hips into her, turning his mouth and kissing her more deeply. Vaguely, he wondered how Hermione would react if he came in his pants like a horny teenager as proof of how much he wanted her, but his two favourite people in the world happened to intervene at the same moment and he was slightly relieved not to find out.

"Fred," breathed Hermione, as they heard George's voice calling, "Hey, lovebirds," from outside the door.

Fred groaned and looked into Hermione's eyes.

Hermione stroked his cheek with two fingers, breathing heavily as she eyed the closed door. "We'd better stop. We didn't lock it."

He nodded, as he rolled off her again. "Give me a minute, love. Just need to adjust."

George didn't feel he needed to wait to be allowed into his own bedroom. Technically, he didn't feel it was really necessary to even knock on the door but, having heard the soft moans as he came up the stairs to retrieve the fireworks that he had brought over from the shop, he wasn't sure what would await him inside if he walked in without giving them at least a ten second warning.

"Oi!" he exclaimed as he entered the room, putting his hands on his hips. "Not OK, people!"

Hermione looked up quickly, but saw a grin slide across his face underneath his attempt at her 'prefect pose'.

"I am allowed to kiss my fiancé, George," she told him.

"Yes, of course you are," he said, "but not on my bed!" Fred laughed loudly, as George chased Hermione from the room, allowing her to give Fred one more kiss before she left for the garden. "Come on, out you get and let me have my brother back. If he doesn't have time for a stag party then at least I can plan some wedding firework havoc with him!"


	7. Arthur's wedding present

Arriving in the garden with her cross stitch project and a quilt that Molly had handed her as she passed through the kitchen, Hermione looked for a shady spot and headed towards one of the apple trees. She spread the quilt on the ground and, as she went to sit, she heard a deep, quiet voice behind her.

"Do you have two minutes to spare, love?" It was Fred's dad, Arthur.

"Of course," she smiled, tossing her project onto the quilt and following Arthur towards his shed. He looked behind them, as if to ensure that they weren't being followed, and Hermione was very curious.

She had never actually been inside Arthur's shed before, and she was amazed to see it. Like the tent that they had stayed in during the Quidditch World Cup, it had some kind of enlarging charm on it and was much bigger on the inside. It was also cooler inside than out, though whether from a cooling charm or one of the muggle devices that Arthur so loved to tinker with, Hermione couldn't tell. She looked around, seeing a wondrous collection of things, magical and muggle, as Arthur leaned proudly against his workbench. There was even a full-sized train set, with a model of the Hogwarts' Express puffing around the track.

Hermione had never realised from the outside, but the shed also had a picture window which gave him a full view of the garden. It must have been some kind of soundproofing, she realised, because she could no longer hear the rest of the Weasleys who were still milling around the garden.

Hermione frowned, trying to make sense of it. The window on the outside was tiny, and you couldn't see in for the dirt, so she had always assumed that Arthur's shed was equally tiny and dingy. In fact, she was sure that had how it had looked when she had once passed it when the door was open. But now it was a sanctuary of calm; a cool respite from the bustle of the rest of The Burrow and its garden.

Arthur indicated a soft armchair, which looked clean and cosy. "Would you like to sit?"

"I would," Hermione smiled. "This is lovely, Arthur. I had no idea!"

"Well that's the general idea," said Bill's voice from the door.

"Oh good," Arthur turned to his eldest son. "You got my message."

"I did. Managed to sneak away from cooking for a few minutes." Bill and Arthur settled themselves into armchairs and Bill looked at Arthur, waiting for him to speak.

"I want to give you your wedding present now, Hermione. This is just to you from me, mind. In honour of you marrying Fred tomorrow, though it's not a present for both of you, as you'll realise when you open it."

Hermione was very curious when Arthur passed her a small package. Her present was wrapped in a clean yellow rag, tied up with a bit of green garden string and finished with a bow.

"I didn't have any wrapping paper in my shed, love" he explained.

"But you didn't even know I was getting married until a couple of hours ago, and you've not left The Burrow since."

"Ah," Arthur tapped the side of his nose with his finger. "Well I won't pretend it's a unique wedding present. Sort of a generic thing for a select few Weasleys, so I had it already. Always hoped you'd marry one of the boys and get one of your own. So far, it's just me and Bill."

"OK, so now I am intrigued!" Hermione pulled one end of the bow and removed the string. Unrolling the rag, a small silver key fell out into her hand. She looked up to see the two wizards grinning, and was startled at how alike they looked. She had never really seen the two of them side by side before.

"It's a key to my shed, love," Arthur explained. "Only for the introverted Weasleys. If that lot ever get a bit much," he indicated towards the wedding marquee with his thumb, "you just sneak over here and let yourself in. There are cooling charms, silencing charms, a one-way window and, best of all, when any of that lot look in, they just see a hot, dusty old shed and none of them ever want to come in. They even built a separate shed for broomsticks; mine wasn't even deemed good enough for that!"

"Arthur!" exclaimed Hermione. "That's bloody brilliant! Does Molly know?"

"Well that's the thing," said Bill, leaning forward in his armchair. "We either induct you into the secret introverted Weasley shed club now and you keep our hidey hole hush-hush forevermore, or if you don't want to keep any secrets from young Fred, then we'll obliviate you and let you think that Dad just wanted to make sure you were OK."

"I'm honoured," said Hermione, although she was also a little perturbed, for she didn't really want to have secrets from Fred, and this was the second time in one day that an older wizard had threatened to obliviate her. But she figured that she could take some time to think and give the key back later if she couldn't live with the secrecy. "I think it could be OK … for the sake of my mental health, so I would love to accept this key, thank you!"

"Good. There's a kettle over there, and we'll bring some of those fruit teabags you like over. And we have a beer fridge over there if that's your thing." He pointed to the corner.

"You're all set up, aren't you?" Hermione looked around in amazement as she kept seeing more and more things.

"We are." Bill slid further down his chair, crossed one leg over the other and put his hands behind his head. "And now you're set up too, it's forty winks for me before Mum realises I've gone and wants me back for more salad chopping."

Hermione stood from her chair and gave Arthur a hug. "Thank you, it's a lovely present, and I shall come and see you lots."

"You do that, love."

As Hermione left the shed, she looked around to check that no-one was watching her. Everyone looked busy, though she realised that Fred must have seen her as he strode across the garden towards her. Leaning down, he gave her a quick kiss and then whispered into her ear, "Did he give you a key to the secret sanctuary then?"

Hermione's eyes grew wide and she looked from side to side, not knowing what to say.

Fred leaned down and whispered into hear ear. "We all know about it, love. He and Bill aren't nearly as subtle as they think they are, and Mum told us ages ago. We're not to tell them we know though."

Hermione was shaking her head in amazement, as Fred continued. "You enjoy the peace when you need it. He'll love having you sitting in there with him now and again while he tinkers away with his muggle stuff. Come on, I'm going to escort you to your quilt and you can do your sewing while we carry on making you a lovely wedding venue."


	8. The Golden Trio

Hermione realised that she was destined not to have quite such a peaceful time in The Burrow's garden as Molly had promised when a tall shadow loomed over her quilt within two minutes of her sitting down again. Briefly, she fantasised about going back to the shed and joining Bill and Arthur for an afternoon nap, but she had suspected for several hours that this particular conversation needed to happen before she and Fred got married the next day.

"Why Fred?" The owner of the voice knelt beside her.

Hermione sighed. "I don't know how much you want to hear, Ron, but it's been Fred for ages." She decided not to bother picking up her sewing for now and instead lay down on her back on the patchwork quilt, knees bent and arms resting by her side.

"Since long before we kissed, by the sound of it."

Hermione let a beat or two pass before she nodded and then, in a small voice, said, "I'm sorry, Ron. I thought we had talked about that. It was the tension of the battle and what you said about the elves and I wasn't really thinking straight. We tried dating, and you know it just didn't feel right, for either of us. You're my brother, and I love you. But not like that."

"It's OK," Ron reached over and patted her hand. "It's just that … sometimes I feel like I'm supposed to fight to be with you even though I don't think either of us would be happy if we were."

"I know what you mean. But no amount of expectation could make up for the fact that we'd probably drive each other crazy."

He snorted. "Too bloody right. But Fred though?" There was the tiniest hint of a whine in his voice.

"Who would you have chosen for me?" Hermione sat up a bit as she awaited Ron's answer. For herself, she couldn't have been more certain that Fred was the right wizard for her. Even as she watched him and George running gleefully around the perimeter of the garden with boxes of fireworks and magical fairy lights, she felt a dancing excitement in her stomach that she had never felt with another man. But she was interested to know what Ron, and also Harry, who was fast approaching from behind him, had to say about her choice.

"Is this just out of the Weasley men, or do we have the whole of the wizarding world to pick from?"

"Crikey, Harry, you do know how to startle a bloke!" Ron hadn't realised that Harry was so close.

"Sorry, Ron." Harry didn't look very sorry as he arranged himself on the remaining part of the quilt. He lifted Hermione's legs to create more space and put her feet back down in his lap before leaning back and gazing up into the leaves of the apple tree.

"I suppose it just all feels a bit real. And soon," said Ron.

"Tell me about it..." Hermione's voice was calm, but both wizards turned to check her face. They knew from long experience that she wasn't always the best at getting her own needs met, and both had wanted to check in with her to make sure she was truly OK with the decision she had made as well as the speed with which everything was happening. Not that they could have put that desire into words.

Catching them watching her, she smiled. "I really am OK, guys. It's lovely of you all to be so worried, but I'm OK. Bit excited, to tell the truth."

Harry took Hermione's hand in his. "I like Fred. A lot. People can say what they like about him and George, but they have always been there for me and for their family. I can't pretend I saw it coming, though I know Ginny did. But now that it's happened, I'm not that surprised."

"Oliver, maybe?" It often took Ron a while to catch up with the conversation.

"He would have driven me nuts with the Quidditch talk, Ron," Hermione laughed. "Yes, of course the Scottish accent is sexy as hell, but that'd hardly make up for not having much in common."

"What do you and Fred have in common though?"

Hermione looked across at Ron, trying to work out if he was being obtuse or was genuinely concerned. Unable to decide, she replied, "Lots, if you think about it. We're both very family orientated, we both love charms and potions and puzzles and we both work hard to get what we want. We're both creative and ambitious, albeit maybe in different ways, and I can't remember a single time when we've ever run out of things to talk about. Even if the conversation is sometimes a bit unconventional."

"You'll be living with George as well, you know! He hates being alone, so when Angelina's playing away, he moves back in with Fred, did you know? Even sleeps in the flat still!"

"I'm OK with that, Ron." Her voice was patient, and Harry wondered how she was feeling inside. "I grew up as an only child; I love the idea of a big family. As far as I'm concerned, George can keep his room if we live in the flat and I'll welcome him as often as he wants to come. I hope you two and Ginny and Luna will visit lots as well. I don't plan on only being a full-time homemaker like your mum, but I do plan on us always having plenty of food and butterbeer and a warm welcome for anyone who turns up."

Ron paused. He did rather like the idea of another place to go for dinners and family gatherings. But he hadn't quite exhausted his need to check that Hermione was certain about her decision. "They'll drive you nuts with product testing!"

"Yes, that's a distinct possibility, but relationships are about communication, and it's not like I'll be afraid to set boundaries, is it?"

"That's a good point, Ron, you have to admit." Harry had decided it was time to help.

"Yeah, thanks Harry."

Hermione rolled over onto her side, cupping her face in her hand and reaching out for Ron's shoulder. "What's really going on for you, Ron? Because if you have a real concern, please tell me. I'm crazy about your brother, and I get butterflies in my tummy every time I think about our date tonight, but if there's something I should know then I wish you'd just come out and say it."

Ron shrugged and shook his head. "There isn't, really. That's the thing."

Hermione looked at Harry, who pulled a face and shook his head. He didn't know where Ron was coming from either. This happened a lot. Although Ron was so much more mature these days, he still sometimes found it hard to identify and own his emotions, let alone control them.

They followed Ron's gaze as he watched George, who was now halfway up a tree, stringing more fairy lights with his wand. Fred remained on the ground – for now – directing his brother. Now and again he would glance over at Hermione and smile widely, as if he still couldn't believe his luck.

"I thought we'd lost him," Ron said, very quietly. "In the battle. When … the coma … he … Godric, I spent most of my childhood wishing he would just piss off and leave me alone and then, when I thought he might actually leave us, I was just so…" He broke off, lost for words.

Harry and Hermione held the space til he was ready to continue.

"And then he was back … and I had all these FEELINGS," he almost spat the word out, "and I didn't know what to do with them and then before I figure that out suddenly PERCY is here for breakfast going on about a marriage law and the next minute Fred's on his knees and you're going to bloody MARRY him. And the truth … I think … I think the truth is that I'm so bloody happy because you two are bloody PERFECT together, but it all comes out wrong every single time and I end up questioning you and all I really want to say is I'm so happy for the both of you because I think you'll be bloody brilliant together."

Before he had even finished, Hermione had launched herself towards him, wrapping her arms around his chest.

"Hey, steady on, 'Mione!" Ron's voice was gruff with the effort of not showing more emotion than he already had. But he kept his face buried in Hermione's shoulder for several minutes, while she stroked his back and whispered reassuring noises into his ear.

"I was terrified that we were going to lose him too. I have loved him for years, though I never thought he would ever feel the same way. He was so bright, and full of fun and life. And for those days after the battle all I wanted was for him to live, and I can't believe we're here either, but this is what we fought for and I am going to love him every single day for the rest of my life, even if he does drive me crazy turning my hair all colours."

Ron was nodding, and he sniffed a little. Hermione pretended not to hear and resisted the urge to pass him a hanky.

"I think hair colours are probably the least of your worries." Harry was watching the other end of the garden, where one of the boxes of fireworks had accidentally gone off. A small Catherine wheel was dancing around Charlie, who was yelling and laughing as Fred and George tried to control their own laughter long enough to raise their wands and get it back under control. Fleur and Ginny were just shaking their heads, but Harry noticed that both of their wands were raised against the possibility that the boys or their fireworks came close enough to their work on the wedding tent and rose-covered arch to do any damage.

Hermione turned to watch as well, giving Ron a chance to wipe his nose inelegantly on his sleeve. She reached for his other hand, though, and gave it a squeeze. "You know this is kind of his stag party?" she asked the boys.

"Huh?"

"Well we're going on our first date this evening, and George pointed out that he doesn't have time for a stag party so he marched him off to play with fireworks instead. Not that I want to get rid of you," she felt slightly guilty saying this because she did really want a few minutes of peace and sewing, "but why don't you go and get a few beers from George's bar and hang out with them for a bit before Fred and I go out?"

"That," Harry dropped a kiss on Hermione's head as he got up, "sounds like an excellent way of letting Fred know how much Ron loves him without having to say any mushy stuff."

"Yeah, thanks Hermione," said Ron. "I'm glad you finally came out and said how you felt."

Thanks for all the positive comments; so glad people are enjoying this. And yes, I'm carrying on with it :-)


	9. Charlie's advice

Hermione picked up her cross stitch project and frowned at the pattern, trying to remember where she had left off. It seemed an age since she had last worked on it, although it was actually only about 24 hours. So much had happened in that time. She looked up from her seat behind the apple tree on one of Molly's patchwork quilts to see how the Weasleys were getting on. The Burrow's back garden was still full of activity, which would probably carry on well into the evening. She had been instructed to take time to chill out though, until it was time for her and Fred to go on their first date. The fact that they were going to get married the day after their first date was unusual, to say the least, but she was managing to adjust to the idea.

Hermione began to stitch, enjoying the solitude, and her peace lasted for six and a half minutes until Charlie arrived, a bottle of muggle beer in hand from the bar he and George had set up. He landed on the quilt beside her and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before making himself comfortable.

"Hello love, can I summon you a drink?"

Hermione smiled at him. "I'm OK thanks, Charlie. I've drunk enough of your mum's tea to sink a ship, and it's still a bit early for me to hit the hard stuff."

Charlie laughed and tipped his beer towards her. "Fair enough, well cheers, love. I've come to give you the sex talk." He swigged from his beer bottle.

"Oh you have not, Charlie, you SO have not." Hermione laughed and swatted his arm. He was unfazed and just laughed.

"Have too, love. You're marrying one of my favourite brothers tomorrow and I'm pretty sure you're a virgin." She blushed slightly but didn't otherwise respond. "And," he continued, "George had you to himself on his broom this morning, Mum and Ginny had time with you and you've hung out in the not-very-secret shed with Dad and Bill. Harry and Ron were here just now and Fleur is getting you ready tomorrow. Everyone else seems to be getting alone time with you before you and Fred are each other's, so I figure it's my turn. And I want to talk about sex."

Charlie didn't know that Hermione could do her trademark 'hands on hips' move while seated and he tried to suppress a grin when she did.

"Tell me precisely why, Charlie Weasley, you think I need advice on sex from you?" She saw the grin break out on his face and laughed again, but then realised there was a chance she would be heard from the other side of the garden. Or worse, The Burrow's kitchen, where Molly was marshalling the cooking troops. Hermione was part embarrassed, part amused and, OK, yes maybe a little intrigued as well. Charlie was probably the most experienced of Fred's siblings in that department and he might well be able to teach her a thing or two – just in theory, of course; she only had _those_ kind of feelings for Fred – but she wasn't sure she could get over the embarrassment of an actual sex-related conversation with Charlie.

"I'm not bad, you know." He winked. "Just this morning you were contemplating an affair with me."

This time her laugh was loud enough to be heard, but another quick glance reassured her than no-one was headed their way. "Yes, and I am highly amused to have that threat hanging over Fred. Won't hurt to have him think he has a bit of competition. But as much as I appreciate the sentiment, I think Fred and I have enough chemistry that we'll figure it out."

"I'm sure you do, love. Will you hear me out, though? Give me twenty minutes and anything I have to say you can take or leave."

Hermione pondered, watching the dragon depicted in Charlie's tattoo swing his tail lazily across the bit of Charlie's side that was exposed when he lifted his arm to drink his beer. She knew that curiosity was going to win, and it did.

"Go on then," she looked across at him. "I'll listen. As long as I can sew as well."

"Right," Charlie began. "So. We live in this really sexist world in which women still get a pretty rotten deal in many ways. But most of them don't even realise it. They think they're liberated because they have won the right to act like men, but we don't properly value femininity. Worse, our culture, and I mean both muggle AND wizard culture, still teaches women to be 'good girls'," he made scare quotes in the air with his fingers, taking care not to spill his beer as he did, "We need to help women find their own power by understanding the issues and refusing to be controlled by their conditioning."

Hermione's eyebrows shot up. She was NOT expecting that, but he definitely had her full attention now.

"Charlie…"

"What? You think all I know about is dragons?" He shrugged. "I love women. I love books and ideas. I'm interested in how the world works. Culture, politics, all that stuff. And I once spent a very pleasant summer with a muggle woman who taught this stuff and really opened my eyes to it."

"I am just … um … I think I'm in awe right now. You sound like me. Please carry on. I want to hear more..."

"OK. So, as I understand it, many little girls get taught to focus on thinking more about what others want than about what they want. They learn to scan the people around them all the time to check that everyone else is happy. But they often don't think about, let alone express their own needs, and that doesn't help anybody. Does that sound about right?"

Hermione nodded, and Charlie leaned in closer.

"Don't spend your life or your sex life trying to please others, 'Mione. I guarantee you, if Fred wants or doesn't want something, he'll tell you. Dad has made damn sure all of us Weasley sons are gentlemen, but we've also been raised with a lot of pureblood white male privilege. Your job isn't just to think about what he wants. It's to figure out what you want and communicate that to him." He drank more beer before looking directly into her eyes. "Do you know what most men really want, deep down?"

Hermione shook her head. She really was lost for words at Charlie's outpouring.

"To give their witch – or wizard – pleasure. That's what we want. We want to make you happy. I sometimes think we might even be wired to make you happy. But we're not always good at knowing how to do that, so you need to help us out by being clear. Doesn't matter whether it's a cup of tea, or to run to the grocery store at 3am or to learn to pick up our socks or to curl up between your legs and kiss and tongue your pussy until you melt in our arms." Charlie chose to ignore the blush that rose to Hermione's cheeks at that. "It's never a chore. Figure out what you want, and tell Fred. Ask him. Straight out, no guessing games."

"I'm not really a game-playing witch," murmured Hermione, wrinkling her nose at the thought.

"I know you're not, love. Some are. It's not their fault; it's how they were raised. I know you don't take any shit either. But I still reckon you might need to do some work on asking for what you need. In the bed, in the rest of the house, wherever. You've never worried enough about your own needs, love. That's why we've had to work hard all day to get you to rest and take time for yourself. If you can master that, you'll both be happier for it. If you don't tell Fred what you want and what you're thinking, he can't know. Weasley men's brains just don't work that way."

"OK," Hermione nodded again, as she snipped a thread from her sewing. "Just for the record, this sex talk is better than I feared."

"Well that's good love, because now I'm warmed up, we're going to move onto the sex."

"Oh." She reached down and picked up another coloured thread, doubling it up and bringing it closer to her face as she attempted to thread it through the eye of her needle.

"Basically the same thing though. Let him know what you like. Tell him what you want, but you don't always have to use words. Move his hand, lean into his touch if you like what he's doing, let him know without words sometimes."

"I like words." Her voice was soft.

"So use words too. Harder, Fred. Faster. Oh yes. No, here, there, oooh, more. Not so fast, love." Charlie's voice was low and sultry as he emphasised his meaning. "But don't be afraid to tell him. He needs to learn your body, and what you like at different times. Help him do that, 'Mione. And, in case I haven't said it enough yet, ask for what you want. Don't lie there and fantasise. And, by the way, he'll bloody love it if you get bossy with him in bed now and again."

"OK, now I AM going to blush."

"Well, blushing can be good, but so is taking the lead sometimes. If you want him, tell him. Do that thing where you put your hands on your hips and order him to join you in bed. When you get there, tell him he's your slave and tell him what you want him to do. He'll be so hard, love. Don't always wait for him to make a move. Send him owls bearing naughty messages. And lastly, I humbly suggest you make a policy of trying anything once."

"Anything?" Her eyebrow lifted as she turned to him.

"Well not if you're really uncomfortable with it. I'm just saying be open to new possibilities. You never know what you'll like til you try."

Hermione nodded. "OK."

Charlie tipped his head back and drank more beer. "Always figure out and ask for what you want, Hermione. Don't wait to be offered it. Most important of all, now you've found someone who makes your heart sing, hold on to him with everything you have."

A slight break in Charlie's voice caught Hermione's attention and, with a little jolt of shock, she realised that his eyes were full of an emotion that she had never seen there before.

"Charlie?"

"Sorry, love."

"It's OK. What going on for you?"

"Fuck, I had no clue this thing with you and Fred would make me so emotional! It's just that … well I learned this from an amazing woman, the best I ever knew. And as my honorary sister I wanted to make sure you knew it. Just didn't know it would happen so soon. I'd like to tell Ginny too, when the time comes, but I might need you to help with that. Not sure she'll sit and listen for as long as you have."

"I will, Charlie. And thank you." Hermione decided not to point out that Ginny was already far more sexually experienced than she was. Best let the Weasley boys continue to think their little sister was innocently waiting for her wedding night rather than sneaking Harry into her room at every opportunity.

There was a pause while Hermione sewed a few more stitches onto her fabric, allowing Charlie a moment to gather his thoughts. Then she spoke quietly, and with her head still bowed.

"Charlie?"

"Yes, love?"

"Who is she?"

He took a deep breath. He had never told anyone this before, but it felt like the right time and the right person to confess to. He needed more beer though, and picked up his wand to accio another bottle over before answering.

"Her name is Lauren. That muggle lecturer I mentioned?"

Hermione nodded.

"Her."

"What happened?"

"We met in the mountains when I was out hiking for a few days checking for dragon nests. We do it on foot so as not to scare the mothers. One day I trekked further than usual and ended up stumbling into some spa retreat resort place. Stopped to buy a beer and there she was. Said she was giving herself a few weeks of rest with this clever little grey thing which had a load of books in it. Fuck knows how they got in there without magic, but they did because she's definitely not a witch."

Hermione smiled to herself, making a mental note to get Charlie an e-reader for Christmas, along with a decent solar charger.

"Told her I was camping nearby and cataloguing the area for work, which wasn't really a lie. Set up a tent and apparated back and forth to the reserve when I needed to. Wine, romance, long nights under the stars. It was the best few weeks of my life."

He paused, and Hermione reached for his hand, threading her small fingers through his larger ones. She had had no idea that he had been hurting this much over a woman. This flirty, clever, funny man who always had a cheerful word and a suggestive wink for her; how could she have missed it? Then she remembered Charlie's own words about how she didn't actually need to be on top of everyone else's feelings and worries and shook her head at her own train of thought.

"She never knew I was a wizard, of course," he continued. "Froze my tattoos, hid my wand and all that. I was afraid to tell her. Don't know much about the Statute of Secrecy, only that it exists and I'd be in trouble if I let on. It's not like we made any promises about the future anyway, both felt that it was just a lovely thing to share for a summer. She knew I would be in Romania for a while longer and gave me this; said to get in touch and have a drink when I was in the UK…"

Charlie pulled a card from his pocket and showed it to Hermione. "I keep it with me all the time. I only realised I loved her after she left, and I didn't have the first idea how to use it to reach her. When I was in the UK that Christmas, I asked a muggle-born friend, but he said she wasn't there anymore. Then things got a bit nuts in the lead-up to the war…" He swigged some more beer. "I've never met anyone like her. I'd have done anything to be able to be with her for longer if I could still keep my family. They could have taken my wand, I could have coped with that, but not my family."

Hermione's thoughts were racing. The card Charlie had shown her was a standard university business card containing Lauren's contact details. It would have been relatively meaningless to Charlie, who had little knowledge of the muggle world but, even if Lauren had changed jobs, Hermione was confident she could use that bit of card to help find his lover.

"Charlie? When my life has calmed down a little and I'm a married woman and have taken all your advice on board on my wedding night, can I help? See if we can find her?"

"It's been nearly three years, love. She could be married with a kid or two by now."

"Well yes, she could be. But she might not. We can only try. You told me to ask for what I want, well I want to help you find her, Charlie Weasley."

"I'd love that, 'Mione."

"Good." They sat in silence for a few moments while he finished his beer.

"Now tell me; how much more beer is it going to take til I get flirty Charlie back?"

Charlie smiled. "No more beer, love. Maybe just a cuddle? Let's see how long I can get away with before Fred comes marching over."

"I can do that, Charlie." She settled into his arms and squeezed him tightly, relieved to hear him sounding more like the Charlie she was used to. If only she wasn't busy getting married the next day, she would already begun her research. Instead, it would have to wait. But she hoped that one day she could help give Charlie many more nights under the stars with the woman whose wisdom he had passed on to her.


	10. To the cove

"Is this how our marriage is going to be, Hermione? Every time I turn up, I'm going to find you in the arms of one of my brothers?"

"It's a distinct possibility, Fred. Is that going to bother you?"

"Not at all, love. We all made a pact years ago, so they can't do anything. I'm just checking." He dropped a kiss onto Hermione's curls as she kissed Charlie's cheek and gave him one last squeeze before slipping out of his arms.

"Charlie was just giving me some brotherly advice." Hermione looked innocently at Fred.

"Really? He said he was heading over to give you the sex talk…" Fred smiled widely as Hermione blushed.

"Well maybe a bit of that too." She was actually happy to own that, if it distracted Fred from the real topic of their conversation. She was sure she would one day tell him more, if Charlie was alright with that, and quite possibly enlist his help with healing Charlie's broken heart down the line. For now, she wanted to give Charlie a bit of space as well as be able to concentrate on their date and the things the two of them needed to discuss.

Fred waved his arm behind him, indicating The Burrow's front garden. "My broomstick awaits, if you're sure you're OK with that?"

"I am very sure, thanks to George's help when you were in Diagon Alley earlier. I'm quite looking forward to it, actually. Apparently this is going to fulfil a long-held fantasy of yours?" She raised her eyebrows and gave Fred a sly smile.

"It is, lovely. And I'm not afraid to admit it. Let's go..." He held out his hand, and she took it.

Just a few minutes later, they were waving goodbye to various members of the Weasley family as Fred kicked off and began their ascent from the garden. Hermione saw that George was slowly moving his wand in the shape of a sticking charm with one hand, while pointing to her and then his wand with the other and pulling a questioning face. She laughed and shook her head at him. "I'm good, thank you, George!"

"Rude git," laughed Fred, catching George's meaning. "Doesn't he think I'll cuddle you close enough to make you feel safe?!"

In response, Hermione snuggled even further back into his body, stroking his forearm in reassurance. Fred sighed softly, melding his thighs even more tightly to hers.

They climbed higher, cleared the top of the trees and then looped around Stoatshead Hill, from where they had picked up the portkey that had taken them to the Quidditch World Cup.

"I can't believe how much has happened since we walked up there that morning, Fred!"

"I know, love. It feels a bit surreal sometimes."

They flew in comfortable silence for a while, enjoying the feel of each other and the solitude of the air. Now and again, Fred would point out something interesting; a flock of birds to the side or a train puffing along below them, but it wasn't until his arm directed Hermione to look at the sea in the distance that she realised he had taken them across to the west coast of Devon. Slowly, he began to circle and descend, keeping the broom's movement gentle for his non-flying witch, and then landed them softly in a deserted cove.

"This is beautiful, Fred!" Hermione exclaimed, swinging her leg over the broom to sit in Fred's lap while she admired the view.

"I'm glad you like it. It belongs to Angelina's dad. He has a restaurant up on the next cliff, which I am going to take you to for supper and, subject to your approval, I have rented this cove for a few days for a bit of a honeymoon. Though Phil – that's Ange's dad – he thinks it's just a short holiday, of course. Might have had to let him think that you needed a bit of recovery time after the war, but we'll tell him the truth as soon as we can. He's a good man; he'll understand the need for secrecy."

Hermione's eyes widened at Fred's suggestion that they holiday here. She looked around at the secluded area, seeing only beach, cliffs and sea. "Really? Where will we sleep?"

"Ha," he laughed. "That's the best bit, but you have to wait til tomorrow evening to find out. If you like the idea of spending a few days together here, we just need to let Phil know when we arrive for dinner, and they will get everything set up for us. George says he'll handle the shop so I can take a few days off. Things aren't busy at the moment anyway."

"I love that idea, Fred, and I will wait to find out more. I'm learning to tolerate uncertainty." She leaned in to kiss him.

"I think that's for the best," Fred smiled into the kiss. "Are you hungry for food, or just my kisses?"

"Definitely for food too!"

"Right, then you'll have to hop back onto the broom properly, love." She obediently rearranged herself, amused that the man who had taken so many risks in the name of having fun over the years was so cautious when it came to her safety. "Broomstick and apparition are the only ways in and out of here. This is a magically protected cove; it's hidden to muggles and the cliffs and wards mean that no-one can get in without the permission of the owner or renter. So our honeymoon will be totally private, and once we're here we don't need to worry. Even the Wizengamot won't be able to disturb us until we've sealed our bond."

As he said the last words, he pulled Hermione flush against his body, and she felt a rush of heat to her core. The more he flirted with her, the more it turned her on, and she now fully understood the appeal of his broomstick fantasy. In truth, she couldn't wait to get more physical with Fred, and was secretly very glad that their rollercoaster romance journey meant she wouldn't have to wait much longer to be one with him.

The restaurant was another surprise. They arrived at the magical entrance, under a notice-me-not charm that Fred had cast over them before taking off, as non-magical folk apparently ate there too.

"There's a village up the road," Fred explained. "Mostly artists, quite alternative, so even if we don't wear muggle clothing then we tend to blend in. A few tourists here and there. They specialise in seafood, with a bit of a Thai twist." He parked his broom and the small bag that he had strapped to the back of it before ushering Hermione into the building.

Hermione knew, even before Angelina's dad strode towards them, that she was going to want to visit this restaurant a lot. The atmosphere was cosy and warm, and delicious smells were emerging from the kitchen. When a big man approached, wearing a brightly-coloured boubou and holding his arms out to hug them both at the same time, she was further captivated. "Welcome to the family," he said, squeezing them tightly. "Ms Granger," he bowed. "I'm Phil. It's such a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for everything you did for us in the war."

Hermione never knew what to say to this kind of statement, but that wasn't a problem, as Phil had more than enough to say for all of them. Fred was apparently used to it, and let the older wizard chat away as he led them outside to a private balcony.

"And I do sincerely mean that I consider you my family," Phil told Hermione, indicating that she should sit on a large purple beanbag. Fred sat down on another, and there was a low table between them. "Since Angelina and George left school and have been getting closer, I seem to see Fred almost as much as I do George, and I don't have a big family myself, so now that you're in the picture I am hoping that I can add you rather than lose Fred."

"That sounds lovely," Hermione smiled up at him. "And please, call me Hermione. I don't have much family either, you know, other than the Weasleys."

"Really?" he replied. "You know Angelina's an only child too?" He slapped Fred's shoulder a couple of times. "Well if you two go on and have babies one day and they need a third grandpa, you just let me know; I don't know if I can wait for Angelina and George to get on with it; she's a bit too fond of her quidditch career at the moment! Now," he looked at Fred, "have you made a decision about the cove, son?"

"Yes please," said Fred. "We'd love to take it for a few days."

"Then I will get my team onto it first thing in the morning, and it will be ready for you anytime from about four. We'll set the wards to your magical signatures and you can just apparate in whenever you're ready. No-one will come down and bother you, but we'll keep your table up here open anytime you fancy flying up for lunch or supper. In the meantime…" he produced a couple of menus from thin air and then nodded to a waiter, who brought over a bucket containing a bottle of prosecco on ice. "And as you requested…" He bowed again and left them to look at menus.

Fred thanked him and then laughed when he saw Hermione's face. "What? You don't think I pay attention? You mentioned it in Kingsley's garden."

"I know, but that was hours ago. Though so much has happened since then it actually feels like days have passed."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. But for the next couple of hours, it's just you, me and good food and wine. How does that sound, love?"

"Absolutely blissful, Fred."

Hermione looked around at the rest of the balcony as Fred poured the prosecco into two tall glasses. "What an amazing place," she whispered.

Fred smiled as he watched her look around. They were on a private balcony, overlooking the sea. Because it was midsummer, it was still bright outside, and she hoped that they would stay long enough to enjoy the sunset. They each sat on a fat, comfy beanbag, and the low table between them was set with candles and flowers. It was such a clever design, Hermione mused. The table was triangular, which meant that they could sit at adjacent sides and both look out over the sea, while still being able to see each other and chat easily. Even better, they were close enough for Hermione to reach for Fred's hand while they considered the food options.

It didn't take long for them to choose their meals; Hermione was very partial to salt and pepper squid and, as soon as she saw it on the menu, she knew she need look no further. Choosing a salad to go with it and a spicy tom yum soup as a starter, she sat back and enjoyed watching the waves as Phil and Fred had a discussion about how Fred would like his sea bass cooked.

She was lost in her thoughts when she felt Fred gently squeeze her hand.

"Knut for your thoughts, love?"

She shook her head. "The funny thing is, I wasn't thinking about anything just then. I spent the first half of the day with a crazy number of thoughts running around my brain, and now I'm here with you, I feel much more relaxed and my head is finally empty."

"That's good, then."

"Mmmmm, it is. How about you?"

"What about me?"

"What are you thinking, Fred?"

"Well that maybe we should talk about some things, if you're OK with that?" He tipped his head to one side.

"Of course … ask me anything you like."

He paused for a few moments, and then spoke more quickly than usual. "Did you really like me that much before this morning? It's not that I'll mind if your feelings aren't as strong as mine … I'd just like to know how far they go back, if that's OK?"

Hermione's face told a picture of concern. "Oh Freddie, are you still worried about that? Even after everything that has happened today?"

He nodded, suddenly looking a few years younger and a good deal less secure than usual. "A bit."

"Well don't be," Hermione lifted her bottom, moved her beanbag closer to him and cuddled into his side. "I told you earlier that I've liked you for a very long time, Fred. Years. I think I liked you before I even knew I liked you, if that makes any sense. But if I had to pinpoint it then it probably started that day when you were all playing quidditch and I was doing my cross stitch under the apple tree."

"Cross stitch? Is that your sewing by numbers?"

"Yes," she chuckled. "I find it really relaxing. It helps me switch off my analytical brain."

"Hey, I'm not knocking it. Just figured I need to get the terminology right."

"You flew down to the ground for some reason that I can't remember and came to check on me. I told you I was thinking of going back over to the house because I was getting a bit cold…"

"And I said no, there's no need, and I took off my jumper…"

"Yes. You said you were ditching it anyway, as you were warm enough, though I wasn't sure whether that was true or if you were just being nice?"

"Maybe a bit," he tilted his head to one side. "But I liked being nice to you. Still do, in fact. And I'd have needed a warming charm flying in that weather whether or not I had my jumper on, so it's not like it was any hassle."

Fred remembered the day well. He had already begun to realise that he liked the clever little witch who had arrived in his life a few years before when his younger brother joined him and George at Hogwarts. He had no idea quite how much he liked her until he saw her don the sweater that his mum had knitted for George the previous Christmas. It had long been a Weasley twin tradition for them to swap their parcels, rendering the initials unhelpful in identifying who was who only unless you held the inside knowledge that Fred usually wore the G and George usually wore the F. George's sweater fitted Fred perfectly, of course, but it was far too long for Hermione, almost reaching her knees. As she had snuggled herself up in his jumper, he found himself speechless and filled with an emotion that he had never felt before.

He recalled that Hermione had curled back up on the quilt at the side of the quidditch pitch and said a quiet thank you before bowing her head back over her sewing. Fred had wanted to speak but had no idea what to say. It took all his willpower to get back on his broom and take off back up into the game rather than bounce down onto the quilt, scoop her into his lap and kiss her.

Hermione remembered the event just as clearly. She had been ninety per cent touched and ten per cent slightly suspicious when Fred offered her his sweater, but the chill of the Autumn day had overridden her concern that there might be a prank involved. She had given Fred a grateful smile and pushed her arms through the soft woollen sleeves. As she ducked her head and pulled his sweater over her body, her senses had been overwhelmed by a smell that was familiar, comforting and, frankly, terrifying. Hermione knew right away where she had smelled it before, and her mind was taken back to the potions class in which they had first smelled amortentia.

Shocked, she had bowed her head, thankful for the excuse of the sewing project and the fact that Fred was used to her introverted ways. She whispered a thank you and shyly watched Fred as he rejoined Harry and his family, who were now shouting for him to return. Hermione's heart was pounding for the rest of the quidditch game. Never before had she wished that it would take Harry as long as possible to find the snitch. Hermione felt confused and uncertain about what was happening. All she knew was that, from that point forwards, no matter that she tried to kiss and date a couple of other guys, she could summon no real romantic interest in anyone else. The only wizard that held any interest for her was the tall, funny, clever, ginger-haired man who now sat next to her at the triangular table with a smile on his face as he waited for her reverie to end.


	11. Growing closer

"You're even braver than I thought, love," Fred remarked when Hermione's soup arrived, swimming with red chillis.

"I love spicy food," she announced with a big smile, before lifting her spoon and taking a sip.

"Me too, but George is a bit more adventurous than me in that department. I love these though; try one…" He cut and speared a bite of Thai fishcake onto his fork and held it near Hermione's lips. She leaned forward and took it into her mouth, closing her eyes and moaning her enjoyment as she did.

"That is so good," she told him when she had chewed and swallowed.

He nodded in agreement. "I love eating out. I was hoping that you did too."

"I'm a big fan of good food," she told him. "I love most cuisines but Thai, Indian, Nepalese, those are my favourite."

"Nepalese?" He frowned, thinking. "Not sure I've tried that."

"Well then when it's my turn to plan date night, there's a fabulous place in Bath that I'll take you to. They have low tables and floor cushions too if you like that, or normal tables and chairs as well."

Fred laughed. "I actually love the beanbag thing. It always feels like being on holiday. Especially as Phil has a warming charm out here. In the winter there are fairy lights … it's lovely."

"Can we come again then?"

"Oh we'll be coming here a lot, don't worry! George and Ange and I come almost every week."

"Fred?"

"Yes, love?"

"I keep wondering where we're going to live…"

"Oh. Well I assumed you would move into the flat with me until we figure things out, but I'm open to other suggestions. You're still living at The Burrow for now, yes?"

Hermione nodded through a mouthful of chicken. "Won't George mind?"

"Of course not. We grew up in The Burrow; we're used to a full house! And recently he's only there some of the time anyway; he's at Angelina's for the rest, but don't tell Phil that! We can redecorate a bit for you if you like."

"OK. Thank you." Hermione was satisfied with that answer.

"Gin said you were worried about what you would do for a job, and I want to tell you that you don't need to be. The shop was doing really well before the war and we've had so much help rebuilding that we're already turning a profit again." He popped another mouthful of fishcake into his mouth and Hermione was delighted to see that, unlike Ron, Fred made sure to chew and swallow before he continued speaking. "I imagine you got an Order of Merlin payment like Ron did, love?" Hermione nodded as she continued to sip her soup. "So we're very comfortably off, between us, and you can take your time to recover and figure out where your dreams lie."

The look on Hermione's face said everything, and she covered Fred's hand as she murmured her thanks for his understanding. Until Percy's surprise announcement, she had been enjoying the summer, having made the decision to give herself a few months to think about what she wanted to do. Prior to this morning, she told Fred, she had been enjoying the break of the summer and had figured that she would make some more concrete plans in the Autumn. After her years at Hogwarts, she was used to September being the month that heralded new beginnings.

"You do whatever you want, lovely. You might need more time to adjust to all of these changes. We'll be OK whether you work or not. And I love the shop; it gives me creativity and security, and lets me spend lots of time with Georgie, which is really important to me."

"Thank you," Hermione looked closely at him. "And I want you to know that I understand how close you are to George. I know you need lots of time with him, and I don't want to get in the way of that. You need to tell me when you two need to be together, and I'll go and see Gin or Harry."

Fred stroked her hand in a quiet signal of his thanks and they continued to chat softly while they ate, enjoying the food and each other's company. As the waiter came to take their dessert plates and told them to stay as long as they liked while they finished their drinks, Hermione reached for Fred's hand again and entwined her fingers with his.

"I feel I need to tell you and show you something, Fred. It's bothering me that there are some things about me that you might not know, and I can't let you marry me without knowing everything." Her eyes were serious and concerned. "Only a few other people know. Harry and Ron, of course. Ginny, and Bill and Fleur."

Fred was confused, curious and a bit worried. "What is it, love?" he asked.

"When we were hunting horcruxes?" Fred nodded, as she continued. "We were taken to Malfoy Manor. Bellatrix … she did this." As she spoke, Hermione used her wand to lift the glamour that she used on her arm, showing him the scar that spelled out the word 'mudblood'.

"Oh, my darling," his eyes filled with concern as his arms quickly went around her. "I'm so sorry that happened to you." Tenderly, he stroked her arm with his thumb, while looking into Hermione's eyes. "I'm so glad mum killed the bitch!"

Hermione laughed, despite the seriousness of the conversation. Hearing Molly Weasley swear at Bellatrix Lestrange had been one of the few bits of light relief in an otherwise dark day.

"It won't fade any more than it already has, apparently. Dark magic," she shrugged. "I keep it under a glamour, mostly because I don't want anybody's pity, but I didn't want to hide it from you. If the glamour lifted during the night, or when I was focused on something and I hadn't told you … well that's not how I want to begin our marriage, Fred."

"Oh Hermione, I don't know what to say. Except I want you to know it only makes me love you more. It's evidence of your courage, as far as I'm concerned. I'm touched you showed me. And you never need to hide anything from me. I have scars too, you know…" His hands were gentle on hers and he leaned forward and down to kiss her wrist.

Fred noticed Hermione glancing nervously through the window, wanting to ensure that no-one inside the restaurant could see her scar. Fred's voice was still soft. "Let's go back down to the beach for a bit, love. Phil won't mind, and we'll have plenty more nights to snuggle on these beanbags. When we come with George and Ange, we'll get to sit even closer," he winked.

"I'd like that." Aware that there were non-magical folk in the restaurant, she used her wand under the table to replace the glamour on her arm before taking the hand that Fred offered and letting him help her up from the beanbag. Tucking her hand in the crook of his arm, Fred led the way through the restaurant until he found Phil at the bar.

"That was lovely, Phil."

"Yes, this is now officially my favourite restaurant," Hermione told him.

"But we're going to go for a quick walk on the beach before going home. It's mum's solstice party tomorrow, so we've got a long day ahead of us. Can I open a tab for the week?"

"You most certainly can, son. Enjoy your walk, and we'll see you tomorrow."

"More likely the next day … mum and dad's sabbat parties can go on a bit. We'll be apparating in very late!"

"I will see you whenever you want me to," Phil reassured him. "You just relax and enjoy the facilities. I'll leave some lights on for you, and I think Ange said she'd pop down in the morning and put a breakfast hamper under a stasis charm for you."

Hermione touched Phil's arm. "Thank you. For everything."

"It's my pleasure, Hermione. I'll see you again soon."

When they went to collect Fred's broomstick, Hermione realised that she had forgotten about the bag that Fred had brought from The Burrow, but she didn't have to wait long to find out what it contained. Once they had flown back down to the cove and settled on a flat rock, he opened it.

"Present from George and Charlie," he explained, producing another half bottle of prosecco – under a chilling charm, of course – and a couple of champagne flutes. "Unless you've had enough already?"

"I think I could manage one more glass, seeing as it's our wedding eve!"

Carefully balancing the glasses on the rock, Fred popped the cork into his hand (which Hermione found very sexy, though she didn't let on) and poured. He handed Hermione a glass and tipped his towards her in a toast.

"Here's to us, love. And to many more evenings like this one."

"To us," Hermione murmured, before leaning forward to kiss Fred.

"Right, though, before we get into more of that, there's something I want to do. And before I do that, there's something else I want to do."

Hermione felt slightly light-headed from the wine and quite aroused at being so close to Fred. She rather hoped that one of the somethings involved more kissing and watched carefully as Fred took both of the flutes and carefully placed them back on the flat rock.

"May I see your lovely arm again? Without the glamour?"

Hermione wasn't entirely certain about that, but she took her wand, removed the glamour for the second time that hour and allowed Fred to take her arm in his much larger hand.

"I think we need to reclaim this word, love," said Fred, lifting her arm to his face so that Hermione could feel his soft breath on her skin as he spoke. "It's only a word, and I'd like to invest it with a different kind of power, so let's see..." He began by gently caressing her scar with his thumb and then kissing the first letter before looking up. "M for … magnificent, which describes your hair and how I think you look when you put your hands on your hips and tell me off."

Hermione smiled. "Charlie said you liked that."

"I do, love … I do." His eyes flashed with desire before he leaned back down again, lifting her arm to his lips again, kissing the next letter.

"U for … unique, because there's truly no-one like you. You're one of a kind, and that's one of the things I love most about you."

Next he kissed the D. "This one's easy. D for dauntless. You're one of the bravest witches I know. And you're democratic, but if that isn't romantic enough, I also happen to think you're dreamy. But I'll save some for the other D, so I don't run out."

His breath skittered across her arm as he looked up at her from under long dark red eyelashes. Hermione decided she liked this game. She lifted her hand and stroked her fingers through Fred's hair as he continued.

"B for brave, beautiful, bold…" He spoke slowly, punctuating his list with another series of kisses to her arm.

"Bookish?" Hermione smiled shyly.

"If you like, but only if we can agree that's a good thing." This time, he licked his way to the next letter, drawing a small gasp from Hermione.

"L for lawful, at least when you were imposing the rules on Georgie and I in the common room … I'm not sure you're always as lawful in other realms as everybody thinks…"

Hermione laughed.

"But also luscious and lovely and … can I say levelheaded, or is that not cute enough?"

"I am levelheaded, for the most part … I can own that."

"OK then. Oh, and loveable, and I'm going to prove that to you every day for the rest of my life." Another smouldering look from under his eyelashes, and Hermione felt the heat growing inside her.

"Are you trying to make me melt, Fred?"

"Mmmmm hmmmm." His lips hummed against her skin. "O for outstanding, which I imagine you got in most of your OWLs?"

She nodded.

"Good then. At least one of us will be able to help with the kids' homework. I'll make dinner on the evenings that you do that."

He kissed the second O, whispering, "And O for outspoken, which by the way I also love more than you can know. And optimistic, which is what we should both be, because we're going to have an amazing life together."

And another D, so it's a good job I saved delightful." He kissed her skin. "And dazzling." He kissed again. "And delectable." This time, Fred didn't pull away. He trailed kisses up her arm, across her shoulder and onto her neck. Gently weaving his long fingers into the hair on the nape of her neck, he tipped her head slightly to the side and licked up her throat and jaw before reaching her lips and kissing her more deeply than before. Hermione responded by moaning gently into his mouth and weaving her hands into his hair.

Fred pulled back, breathing heavily. "Love, there's something else I want to do … well, give you." He reached into his pocket and brought out a small bag. "I hope you like it; I only had a few minutes while you were in Honeydukes."

Hermione smiled. She had suspected that there was a reason he had sent her to the chocolate shop, but it was such a beautiful gesture that she didn't want to tell him that.

Fred pulled a simple but pretty ring out of the bag and showed it to her. "I know I've already asked you once today, but now I have a ring. Even if we didn't have the marriage law hanging over you, I'd want to be with you, now and forever. I think I love you. Can I give you this ring and seal our promise? Will you marry me, Hermione Granger? For me and not just because of the law?"

"Fred Weasley, I think I love you too. And I would love to accept this ring and marry you tomorrow. But before I can do that, there's one more thing I need to tell you. I need to check, because I don't know whether it will be a deal breaker for you."


	12. On the beach

Fred was holding an engagement ring between his fingers and looking deeply concerned. It was a bit late in the day for Hermione to have changed her mind, and if she didn't marry him tomorrow then she might have to take her chances at being matched to another pureblood wizard. Given that many of them had death eater associations, this did not bode well for the war heroine. Fred was just as worried for Hermione as he was for his own future happiness without his favourite witch in his life.

"What is it, love? What do you need to tell me?"

"I don't want to change my name, Fred. I'm sorry, but I just can't." She looked at him, wondering how he would react.

A massive grin broke out on Fred's face. "Is that it, love? That's the possible deal breaker that you were worried about telling me?"

Hermione nodded.

"You thought I'd be bothered about that?"

"Gin said not to be, but I was worried that you might. Family is so important to you all, and your mum has said so many times how badly she wants me to be a Weasley…"

"Well, it doesn't matter what my Mum thinks. I don't think she'll have a problem, and you can be a Weasley whatever your name, but if she makes a fuss then she's going to come up against plenty of opposition. So you be called whatever you like, love. You could carry on being Granger, or you could be Granger-Weasley. Or Weasley-Granger? Do you like any of those, love?" Fred felt massively relieved. His mind had gone into overdrive when she mentioned a deal breaker, and he hadn't known what to think.

Hermione thought for a bit and then smiled. "Granger-Weasley is nice. And easier to say, I guess. I'm not opposed to that, but wouldn't you want us to have the same name? What about if we have children? What will their last name be?"

Fred cupped Hermione's face in his hand. "Well, love, that is an interesting question. Have you given any thought to what you'd like their last name to be? Or mine, come to that?"

She was a bit taken aback by that and was still contemplating her response when Fred spoke again.

"Because we're not all dyed-in-the-wool purebloods, 'Mione. It's sexist to expect witches to change their name and not wizards. And you're the last Granger in your family; I get that." He stroked her cheek with his thumb, making it hard for Hermione to concentrate on what he was saying. "How would you feel if I took your name as well and we both changed our last name to Granger-Weasley? That would keep it going, as long as you have lots of sex with me so we can make us some babies to carry on the dynasty…"

Her eyes widened. "You'd do that?"

"Course I would, love. It's only fair, and not a big deal for me. Don't think Georgie'll let me change the name of the shop, mind, so I can't guarantee I'll never need to use my maiden name on paperwork for business purposes," he laughed, "but other than that I'd love to do that for you –"

He was cut off by a deep kiss which Hermione planted on him in gratitude. Turning his hand slightly, he cupped the back of her head more firmly, moulding his mouth to hers and running his tongue over Hermione's lips. She let her tongue entwine with his, moving her lips softly against his.

"Merlin," said Fred when they finally broke apart. "If that's how I get rewarded, I'll offer to change my name more often!"

Hermione just smiled as she captured his lips again. But Fred softened his kisses before pulling away to speak again.

"I really am crazy about you. I'll look after you to the best of my ability. And not because you need it, of course, but because I really want to. And I will love you til the day I die."

"Fred…" Hermione's eyes filled with tears, but she was smiling. "Do you not think I have cried enough today? Seriously, I'm not even the crying kind of witch!"

"I know, love. And you're not the needing looking after kind of witch, either. But I'm going to be the best wizard I can be for you. In amongst probably driving you nuts."

She laughed. "I wouldn't want it any other way."

"Does that mean I can give you this now?" He held out the ring again and Hermione gave him her hand so that he could slip it on her finger and seal the deal with another long kiss.

"I think part of why I like you so much is how different we are in some ways and similar in others," she told him when they broke apart.

"Tell me…" Fred reached for their glasses of prosecco, passed one to Hermione, took a long sip of his and then held it up to the light. "Wow, good choice Georgie! I never tried this before tonight, but I think we'll have to have a dedicated prosecco cupboard in our house."

Hermione smiled as she sipped at her own glass. "I'm glad you like it."

"I do. So tell me, are there any other things we ought to discuss before I snog you goodnight and fly you home?"

Almost a minute passed as Hermione looked out to sea. Then, without turning back towards Fred, she whispered, "babies. You keep mentioning babies".

He reached for her hand and began to play with her fingers. "What do you want, love?"

"Well that's the thing," Hermione replied, taking another sip of her drink. "I don't really know. All through school there were so many threats and so much going on that I barely had time to think about a career. I know I want a career though; something to challenge me. I need intellectual stimulation, even if I become a mum as well. But I never had a chance to think much about babies before. Didn't know if I would even be around to make that decision."

Fred's thumb was stroking Hermione's hand as he spoke. "Love, we don't have to make any decisions now."

"What do you want though? You've grown up in a big family. I can't imagine you not wanting a whole quidditch team of your own."

Fred smiled. "Honestly?"

"Always honestly, Fred. There's no point otherwise."

"OK. Well yes, I always thought I'd have kids one day. Not seven, but maybe three or four, if it was up to me. But we have loads of time, and right now all I want is you. And if children isn't something you want, well then we'll be Uncle Freddie and Auntie 'Mione and if my maternal instinct turns out to be stronger than yours then I'll babysit a different Weasley baby every night of the week while you stay at work late and run the Ministry, or whatever you decide to do."

"Really?"

"Really."

"I don't think I want to run the Ministry, just so you know. I'll leave that to Percy. And I think I'll probably be happy to make you a dad one day. I just need some time."

"Well then that's what you shall have, love." It crossed his mind that the impending marriage law might have something different to say about that, but Fred thought better of mentioning it. He had no idea what the law would say about reproduction and, given that they were marrying hours before it came into force, it might not affect them anyway. No point worrying about something that may or may not happen.

Fred lifted her chin and gave Hermione a tender kiss.

"Another question from me? A personal one…"

"Go ahead, Fred."

"Will I be your first?"

Hermione blushed a little but looked him in the eye. "Yes," she said.

"That's OK, love. I just thought it would be better to ask now, rather than when we're full of hormones and bonding magic." He brushed her cheek with his thumb. "I'll be very gentle and we'll take it slow, I promise. And…" he leaned in closer, brushing the shell of her ear with his lips before whispering, "I'll get you so aroused beforehand with my fingers and lips and tongue that you'll be begging to feel me inside you."

A small groan left Hermione's mouth, and a few fireworks went off in her tummy. She leaned in for another kiss, and then pulled back to drain her glass before putting it down again.

"What about you?" She spoke softly. "I mean, I'm sure I'm not your first, but…"

"No, I'm not a virgin, but you'll be my first witch, love. I've kissed a few witches, but I've never had sex with one."

"How come?" Hermione was puzzled.

"Well," he kissed her neck before looking into her eyes. "Dad always told us that we should enjoy our bodies but take care to never have sex with a witch that we wouldn't want to spend the rest of our lives with. Just in case the charms didn't work, you know. 'Be careful, son, the wizarding world is small,' he would say." Fred shrugged. "And I took that advice to heart. Don't forget I already had my heart set on you, and I know this is really sappy but, just in case I ever won your heart I never wanted you to have to look at another witch and know that I had slept with her before you."

"Oh Fred…"

"Well I'm not as pure as that, love, before you go giving me undue credit. Dad always said don't have sex with a _witch_ that you didn't want to marry, remember, so I reckoned that meant I could go and get some experience in muggle London …"

Hermione laughed at that. "That sounds … well it sounds very logical, actually … that's the sort of plan I would make!"

He grinned. "And just so you know, love, I always used condoms. For protection, of course, but later I realised it also meant that the witch I married would be the only person I would ever really touch like that. I always hoped that you'd be the witch I'd get to tell this to one day." His hand continued to stroke her face.

"Fred … I just … I don't know what to say…"

"You don't need to say anything, love. Come here." He put his own empty glass down and his mouth moved closer to hers. "You're the only witch I want…"

This time when they kissed, Hermione found herself wondering what their babies might look like. And then, as Fred's lips moulded to hers more firmly, she found herself not wondering anything at all. Hermione tipped her head and Fred felt her whole body soften in his arms. The tip of her tongue slid gently across his lips and Hermione let out a quiet moan as heat thrilled through her stomach and between her legs.

Fred's arms tightened, bringing her closer to him as they continued to explore each other. His thumb stroked across Hermione's cheek and she felt his hands moving downwards, his long fingers skimming the sides of her breasts before caressing her waist and thighs. Hermione was lost in the sensation of his kisses and his touch, as she had been earlier that day in his bedroom; she felt as if she had entered a new world.

"Come here, love," he growled softly, and pulled Hermione so that she was straddling his lap. They continued to kiss; oblivious to everything but each other and the sound of the waves in the darkening evening. Hermione climbed further up Fred's lap until their bodies were as close as they could be and stroked her hands up and down his back. Each time she neared his neck, he would make an appreciative noise, until she let the fingers of one hand roam freely over his neck and through his soft red hair, while she tucked the other into the waistband of his trousers and made small circles over his sacrum before slipping her small hand into his shirt and stroking his bare side and tummy.

"You are gorgeous, Fred Weasley," she told him, pulling back from the kiss for a second before recapturing his lips with her own.

"You're pretty gorgeous yourself, 'Mione," he mumbled against her lips. "Can't believe that you're gonna be all mine in just a few hours."

"All yours … and you'll be mine," she said, pressing her pelvis into his. She felt a flood of warmth as she felt his cock through his trousers.

"Oh fuck." His head tipped back slightly. "I'm so hard for you."

"I can feel that," she laughed softly, grazing the backs of her knuckles over him.

"I want you." He was rocking his pelvis against her now, and reached to cup her bottom in his hands, pulling her closer into him.

"I want you too, Fred. Not sure what the deal is with sex before bonding … do you know if it affects it?"

"No idea." His mouth was moving down to her breast, and a tiny whine escaped Hermione's lips as he kissed down her neckline while searching for her nipple with his thumb.

"Fred…"

"Mmmm hmmm?"

"I don't want to stop, but I don't want to mess up the bonding."

"I know, love. I don't want to either."

Slowly, they pulled away and gazed at each other; pupils wide and dark with lust and lips red and swollen with kisses. Hermione leaned her forehead onto Fred's shoulder and they breathed together for several minutes, trying to calm their ardour while still holding on to each other.

"You know what we're gonna have to do?"

"What, Fred?"

"Apparate. It's getting dark and as much as I wanted a moonlit broomstick ride with you, there's no way I'll survive that while I'm this turned on. We'll fly home next time."

"You're not too drunk to apparate? I don't want to have to marry Charlie because you've splinched yourself!" She eyed him carefully.

"I'm good, love. It takes more than a couple of glasses of fizzy wine for me. I'll side-along us to The Burrow. Just give me a mo to get decent."

Holding onto Fred's waist for support, Hermione straightened her legs and slid from his lap onto the sandy floor, giving him one last lingering kiss before she finally pulled away. Fred stood up too. He walked slowly towards the sea, his face turned to the sky, adjusting his trousers. Halfway there, he turned and walked back. "OK," he said, summoning his broomstick and collecting the bottle and wine glasses into the bag. "I'll do. I'll drop you at The Burrow and then I'm spending the night at the flat with George. After an appointment with a cool shower," he laughed. And I will see you at three tomorrow to marry you." He dropped a kiss on the finger that now held his ring. "And then…" his eyes flashed wide one more time, "we will finally finish what we keep starting."

Hermione smiled up at him. "Fred?"

"Yes, love?"

"Thank you for a lovely first date."

"You are very welcome. There are lots more dates where that came from. I can't wait to take this journey with you."

Hermione stepped forward into his outstretched arms, so they could apparate back to The Burrow together.

"Me too, Fred Granger-Weasley to be. Me too."


	13. Later that night

When Hermione quietly opened the door to The Burrow, only two people remained in the kitchen. Percy and Penelope turned around from the table, where they had had their heads together over the wedding cake. Penelope quickly cast a charm over it and Hermione could only see a shimmering fog.

"Oh, hello," smiled Hermione. "Am I not allowed to see?"

"It's up to you," said Penelope. "That was just a precaution in case you wanted to wait until tomorrow. I can lift the charm and you can see it right away if you like, or it can be a surprise. It's all decorated now, so if you do look you still won't know exactly what flavour Fred picked until you taste it anyway."

"Oooooh, difficult decision," said Hermione. "Actually, I think I'll wait. Thank you both so much for all your work. Everyone has been amazing."

"It was our pleasure," said Percy. "Penelope here has a real talent for this. Everyone has been telling her that she should consider starting a business."

"That's a great idea, if it's something you think you'd enjoy?" Hermione looked at Penelope.

"I'm thinking about it. But so much is happening, with the aftermath of the war and the marriage law and our own plans. I can only focus on one thing at a time."

"Fair point," Hermione nodded. She liked that Percy and Penelope were such a steady and measured contrast to the more excitable Weasley siblings.

"And I'm happy to support Percy in a political career if that's what he wants rather than be out there in the limelight myself. So many politicians need support they can trust if they want to make a positive difference. But we'll see…" Percy smiled at her.

"Did you have a good date?" he asked Hermione, using his wand to send the last of the utensils they had used to the sink, where a mop was magically cleaning the dishes before they stacked themselves neatly on the draining board.

"Lovely, thank you! We went to Angelina's dad's restaurant, which is just gorgeous and very romantic … have you been there?"

They both shook their heads. "We'll have to try it sometime," Percy said, as he reached for Penelope's hand. "I'm afraid I'm not the most imaginative wizard when it comes to date locations, so I'll gladly take suggestions."

"Percy … don't put yourself down. You are the perfect wizard for me." Penelope leaned in and gave him a shy peck on the cheek. "I am very happy that Fred and Hermione have found each other, but seriously … can you imagine me coping with one of the twins, or Charlie or Bill? I wouldn't last a week!"

Percy let go of her hand and slid his arm around her shoulder instead. "No, I can't, though that's rather an amusing thought. Especially the idea of you with one of the terrible twins!"

"I know this is probably Fred's influence on me, but you're making me want to send one of them over to jive with you at the wedding," Hermione teased Penelope, who laughed in response.

"I would enjoy that for a very few minutes, but then I'd need to rest and recover my energy. It's just how I am."

Hermione smiled. "Well it would be dull if we were all the same. Is everyone else in bed?"

"Mum and Dad are," said Percy. "And Ginny, Ron and Harry, I think. George went back to the flat, Bill and Fleur went home and I actually have no idea where Charlie is," he looked around the kitchen, as if Charlie might be sitting quietly in the corner. "Do you?"

Penelope shook her head.

Percy shrugged. "Charlie's AWOL then, so no change there. Probably out hooking up with some unsuspecting woman at the pub."

Hermione smiled wryly. She was the one person who knew that Charlie wasn't likely to be out with another woman.

"Well I'm off to bed, if you don't mind," she told Percy and Penelope. "It's been a long, crazy day and I need all the sleep I can get before tomorrow.

"We don't mind at all," Percy reassured her. "We're flooing home as soon as we've got the kitchen nice for when Mum gets up."

"Good night, Hermione," Penelope added. "Sleep well, and don't worry."

"Yes, none of that," Percy patted her awkwardly on the arm. "Try and get a good rest."

"I will, thank you both again," Hermione gave them a smile as she headed for the rickety stairs of The Burrow. She made a quick stop in the bathroom to brush her teeth and use the loo, careful not to wake anyone. She crept quietly past all the closed doors as she made her way up another flight of stairs to the bedroom that she was currently sharing with Ginny. Before she could open the door to Ginny's room however, she heard the unmistakeable sounds of lovemaking coming from within. She was surprised that Harry and Ginny hadn't cast a silencing charm, but was also rather grateful for their omission, for it saved her the embarrassment of walking in on them for the second time in a week.

Hermione didn't mind at all when Harry slept in Ginny's bed. The war had ended only a few weeks ago, and they all had nightmares now and again. But the agreement was that they only ever cuddled when she was in the room, so as not to embarrass her. They had either lost track of time or thought she and Fred would be out later than this.

Hermione pondered her choices. She could head back down to the living room and sleep on the sofa. Percy's room no longer had a bed in it and was crammed full of Molly's craft supplies, so that wasn't an option. Harry's bed would be empty in Ron's room, but that had drawbacks, and Bill and Charlie's room had two beds in it, which were possibly both empty. Yes, that sounded like a much better idea than the sofa, so she crept across the landing and softly opened the door to the two eldest Weasleys' old bedroom, not wanting to wake any of the other family members.

"Is this my lucky night, then?" whispered a voice from the bed on the right. "Did you decide to come and get the practical lesson before your wedding night?" Charlie's laugh was low and soft.

"Oh, I didn't know you were here, Charlie. Percy thought you were still out," Hermione whispered back.

"Oh! Way to crush a man's ego, love!" He reached for his wand and whispered "lumos", making the room glow with a soft light.

"Sorry," she giggled. "But Ginny is … erm … a bit busy with Harry in our room, so it was here or Ron's room, and he snores terribly!"

Charlie laughed. "Yeah, I know, it's like sleeping with a horntail! Well hop into Bill's old bed, love; it's made up. Mum'll be so busy in the morning that she won't even notice, which'll get Ginny off the hook, and Dad wouldn't care even if he did."

Hermione sat on Bill's bed. "Thanks, Charlie. Did you have a good evening?"

"We did. Had a few beers with George and Bill after you left, then Ange and Fleur and the others joined us later. Got the garden all sorted and under a weather protection charm, at mum's insistence, of course … can't trust the Devon climate, you know!" Hermione chuckled at Charlie's impersonation of Molly. "We might have made you and Freddie a surprise or two, though I can't say for sure, of course."

"That sounds fun, or perhaps slightly worrying, I'm not sure!"

"Only good things, love, I promise. Don't worry."

"OK." Hermione looked down at her dress and realised that she had another problem. All of her clothes were in Ginny's room, and she didn't want to transfigure her favourite dress. "Charlie, I don't suppose you could lend me something to sleep in?"

"Course I can, love." Charlie sat up and rolled over the side of his bed, reaching into his rucksack. "Here," he tossed a green tee shirt to Hermione, who smiled her thanks and then circled her fingers at him to indicate that Charlie should turn his back while she changed.

"Spoilsport," he joked, although he obediently covered his eyes with his hand as Hermione slipped out of her dress and bra and into his top.

"It's going to be bad enough telling Fred I spent the night before our wedding with you, without you gleefully telling him you saw me naked before he did!"

"Oh, you know me too well," Charlie clutched at his heart with his other hand. "If you like, I've got clean boxers in there too … you can help yourself to a pair or I can get them if I'm allowed to look?"

"I'm OK in my knickers, thank you, but you can look again. I'm decent."

When he looked, it was to see that she was not only decent but tucked under the covers of Bill's bed.

"So I can deduce from that that there was no nakedness on your date then? And your knickers are still in a fit state to sleep in, or is that because you used a quick cleaning spell in the loo?"

"Charlie!"

He held his hands up in surrender, laughing. "OK, sorry! But aren't you going to give me at least a few juicy details though? Now you know about my postponed love life, you can at least let me live vicariously through yours!"

Hermione grinned. She had anticipated having to tell that bedtime story to Ginny when she arrived home, but not Charlie. Although, as she discovered over the next few minutes, as she gave him a synopsis and then answered his questions about their date, he was far less squeamish about the more intimate parts of the story than she suspected Ginny would have been. All in, he was a great pre-wedding roommate, though she would have never had anticipated that a few days ago.

"It all sounds wonderful, love," he declared when she was done.

"It was."

"We should sleep now though, I think. Mum's got the most enormous breakfast planned, and then it'll be all systems go in the morning."

"Night night, Charlie."

"Night, love. Sleep well. Nox."


	14. The uninvited wedding guest

The next morning seemed to pass in a flash of breakfast and hugs and people running around in last-minute preparation for Fred and Hermione's wedding, and it felt to Hermione like only minutes had passed before she found herself in a bedroom with Fleur, wearing an elegant wedding dress and the loveliest hairdo that she had ever seen on herself.

"This is beautiful, Fleur," Hermione said, and thanked the other witch as she finished her make-up with one wave of her wand. Ginny's approval having been established, they both swept down The Burrow's stairs and into the living room, where Charlie was waiting for them, in his dress robes.

"Are you ready, my lady?" he asked, as he offered his arm. Fleur gave Hermione a kiss on the cheek, as Hermione murmured another thank you, and she pressed Ginny's hand excitedly before running outside in that graceful Beauxbatons style, to take her seat in the garden beside Bill.

"I am as ready as I will ever be, Charlie," Hermione replied, smiling widely as she put her hand in Charlie's and allowed him to lead her to the back of the area that had been prepared for the wedding.

Lee waved to them from the side of the garden and Charlie gave him a thumbs up. As Lee started the music, Charlie led Hermione slowly down the aisle down to the front where Fred and George stood, together with a beaming Kingsley. Ginny followed after them and smiled broadly as she took her place beside Hermione.

"Dearly beloved witches and wizards," Kingsley began. "On behalf of the Weasley family, I am delighted to welcome you to The Burrow. We are gathered here on this summer solstice day to celebrate the bonding of Hermione Jean Granger and Fred Gideon Weasley and to celebrate their love together until the sun goes down. I know this will be a surprise to some of you, but Hermione, Fred and their family have invited you here today to witness the sharing of their love and the creation of an eternal bond that cannot be broken."

Fred looked at Hermione and winked. "Alright, love?" he asked her.

She nodded back. "Bit nervous, but excited," she whispered. He took her hand into his and squeezed it gently.

"Do you have the binding cord, George?" Kingsley smiled at the redhead.

The cord was duly passed to Kingsley, who asked Hermione and Fred to lift their entwined hands and wrapped it three times around them. He spoke some magical words softly over the cord and told the crowd that the time had come for Hermione and Fred to say their vows. "Now is the time," he smiled to the assembled wizarding folk, "in which, if anyone has a concern about this union, they should speak their piece or forever hold their peace." He smiled to himself at his play on words.

A crack sounded near the back of the seating area, and they heard Lee shout, "Oi!". For a moment afterwards there was complete silence, and then a high-pitched voice was heard.

"Hem hem."

Hermione, Fred, George and Ginny wheeled round to see a pink-clad Dolores Umbridge standing at the other end of the aisle holding a green piece of paper aloft in her hand.

"I am SO sorry to interrupt..."

"Oh, bugger," said Fred, grasping Hermione's hand more tightly.

"But I do believe, Minister, that this is an illegal marriage." Her voice sounded sweet and reasonable but held a note of disgust.

Several guests gasped. Some hadn't seen or heard of Umbridge since she had left Hogwarts after administering cruel and unusual punishments to students. Many of the assembled witches and wizards seemed surprised to see her, thinking that she had been dealt with, although there had been so much chaos since the war had ended and the Daily Prophet was such an unreliable source of information that it was hard to keep up with the many happenings of the wizarding world.

"Excuse me?" Hermione was proud to see Percy rise from his seat, standing up straight and addressing the ex-High Inquisitor. "I do not believe that my family invited you to our party, so perhaps you could explain your presence?"

"I do not," she said condescendingly to Percy, "need to explain my presence to you or to any of your family, Mister Weasley. I am here to address the Minister and the Minister alone."

Kingsley put a reassuring hand on Hermione and Fred's hands, which were still clasped and held by the binding cord. Hermione's mind raced. As the three of them were now in physical contact, she could apparate them out of there together and perhaps they could continue the bonding. But where would they go? And what would the implications be? Didn't they need George and Ginny as witnesses for the marriage to be legal? She wondered if she could whisper to Fred to grab hold of George while she reached for Ginny's hand. But would her magic be strong enough to side-along them all at the same time? She had never heard of such a thing being done before and felt worried at the thought that she might hurt those most dear to her with her crazy plan. No, she needed to think of a better one.

In the meantime, Kingsley was keeping his voice low as he addressed the intruder. "Then kindly hurry up and address me, so that we can get on with our festivities."

"Oh I think not," a smirk crossed Umbridge's face and she picked some imaginary lint off her pink two-piece suit. As she began to speak again, she slowly walked up the aisle, punctuating her words carefully with pointed glances around the room. "There is, is there not, a temporary ban on wizarding marriages until Monday morning, Minister? So perhaps you could tell me, in my capacity as a respected member of the Wizengamot, precisely why this marriage license was registered with your signature on at the Ministry of Magic not half an hour ago?"

"The sneaky cow," breathed Kingsley, so that only Fred and Hermione could hear. "I left it until the last possible moment to give us the best chance of being undetected. She must have put some kind of trace on the licensing process."

In a louder voice, he said, "Madam Undersecretary Umbridge, I think you'll find the marriage licence is legally registered and completely in order. I double checked and signed it myself."

"Minister Shacklebolt," Umbridge raised her voice slightly, but the simpering, sickly smile remained fixed on her smug face.

"Bloody woman," grumbled George under his breath. "I'm going to hex her." He reached for his wand. "Slugs, toads or worms, love?" he asked Hermione.

"This really is most irregular." Umbridge wasn't going to be daunted by the dirty looks that she was getting from the wedding guests. "I insist that you put a stop to these proceedings forthwith. I have informed the other members of the Wizengamot and it has been decided that we will have a full hearing at the Ministry at nine o'clock tomorrow morning, after which the Wizengamot can decide whether or not this wedding will be allowed to go ahead. Aurors are on their way."

Hermione's heart sank. She knew that the marriage law would pass first thing tomorrow. They had come so close, only for her chances to be dashed. She and Fred had only needed to say their vows and make love before the sun rose again the next day, and they would have been bonded forever. She would have been safe, and they would have been each other's.

She should have known that things were all going too well. She had enjoyed such a wonderful day yesterday, in the bosom of her adopted family, and the loveliest date with Fred the evening before. Tears filled Hermione's eyes as she realised that, if Umbridge had anything to do with it, that might not just have been their first date but their only date. Umbridge had always hated Hermione and she was clearly delighted that she had found an opportunity to ruin her life in this way.

Sobbing in despair, she turned to the man she loved. "Please, Fred, don't let her do this!"


	15. Charlie's top ten

"It's OK, love, it's OK. It's me, Charlie, and you're OK. Wake up, love."

Hermione opened her eyes to discover that she was still lying in Bill's old bed, wrapped in the rather muscular arms of Charlie Weasley, who was whispering gently to her while he stroked her hair.

"I think you were having a nightmare love, but you're OK. Everything's OK. You're safe at The Burrow. The war's over, we're all safe. You're safe. Freddie loves you, and you're getting married today."

Hermione lifted her head from his chest.

"Umbridge," she looked at him, her eyes full of despair.

"Is in Azkaban awaiting trial, last I heard. Is that what your dream was about?" He continued holding Hermione with one arm while reaching over for a tissue with the other. He didn't generally approve of the feminine touches which had appeared when Molly had turned his and Bill's room into a guest room, but he now accepted the value of the tissue boxes that his mum had placed on the bedside tables.

"Thank you," said Hermione, blowing her nose loudly. Then, "sorry!" she giggled, as she realised she had used slightly more force than planned.

"Better out than in," grinned Charlie. "Now, do you want to tell me about it, or would you like a cup of tea first? Or I can get Fred or Ginny or Mum if you want someone else?"

"Tea would be lovely," said Hermione, still adjusting to the realisation that none of her nightmare had been real. She looked around to check. She was still in Bill's old bed, she was warm and safe, she hadn't yet got dressed for her wedding and, most importantly of all, Dolores Umbridge hadn't turned up to try and stop her and Fred getting married. "But I'm coming with you to make it. I don't want to be alone. You're not too sleepy, Charlie?"

"It's five thirty. That's my normal wake-up time on the reserve, sweets. That's why I was awake and heard you when you called out for Fred. You're sure you don't want me to floo to the flat and get him?"

"No, I'm OK. I'm not superstitious, but I quite like some of the traditions, you know, like not seeing him before the wedding."

After they had crept down the stairs, made a pot of tea and settled onto either end of the sofa, Charlie invited Hermione to tell him about her dream, which she did. He listened carefully, nodding as she told the story. At the end, he only had one question. "Did anything funny happen?"

"How do you mean? Funny weird or funny haha?"

"Funny haha. Did anything happen that could make you laugh now?"

Hermione's eyes went up to the ceiling as she considered his question. "Well, Kingsley called Umbridge a sneaky cow. You addressed me as 'my lady'; that made me laugh in the dream. And George asked me what kind of slimy creatures I wanted him to hex her with!"

"There we go, so it wasn't all bad. Focus on those bits, and then we just need to turn it around and make a good ending. What happened just before you woke up?"

"Umbridge was trying to stop the wedding, Fred and I and Kingsley were touching hands, so I was thinking about how we could apparate and finish it somewhere else, but we would have needed George and Ginny and I thought that was too many people and I would splinch us all."

"Plus Mum would have never let you forget that. OK, so imagine this," his arm swept a wide arc around the room. "I turn around to face Umbridge, and shout, 'never fear, lady 'Mione, I'll save you', and I summon a Welsh green to come flying in from the south, pick Umbridge up in its mouth and fly away with her arms and legs waving wildly in the air. I turn to you and bow and say, 'there you go, my lady 'Mione' and I nod to Fred, who high fives me like he does with George. George points his wand at Umbridge and turns her into a big squirming worm, and the poor dragon is a bit grossed out by that, so drops her from the sky just in time for Umbridge to get hit by a small meteor which comes flying in from behind the hill – but which otherwise leaves mum's flower beds intact, of course – and the Umbridge worm is now in a million pieces and I say, 'do please continue, Minister'. And you and Fred say your vows and then you snog and then we all have a lovely party." He leaned closer and lowered his voice to a growl, "and then later he takes you back to the magical cove you told me about last night and he lays you down … takes off your dress … kisses you all over until you can't take it any more and you feel all melty … and then Fred stands up and slowly strips off his robes, revealing his –"

"I've got it, Charlie, thank you. I'm happy to let my imagination do the rest!"

"Only if you're sure, love? It's really no trouble," he winked.

"I feel much better."

"Good, but I have one more idea to get it right out of your head. I know how much you like logic and lists. Given my superior knowledge of the Weasley family and what was going on here while you were out snogging Freddie," he waggled his eyebrows in the predictable manner, "I'm going to see if I can think of ten reasons why you don't need to worry."

"OK," Hermione sat up a bit straighter on the sofa. "This sounds potentially therapeutic."

Charlie spread out both of his hands and moved each finger or thumb in turn as he began to count. "First, Bill and Fleur already started putting up extra wards yesterday, and no-one will be able to apparate in and out once the invited guests are here and the wedding has begun."

Hermione nodded. "Good one. I didn't know they were planning that, but very sensible."

Charlie wiggled his index finger. "Second, Harry and Ron have chatted up a few mates from the Auror training programme and promised them a night out next week in exchange for standing guard around the perimeter during the wedding and the party."

"Bless them."

"Indeed. Third, I haven't talked to Kingsley and dad thinks he's deliberately staying away until the last minute as a means of protecting you, but I know he will have done everything necessary to ensure your safety from a Ministry perspective."

"Mmmmm, I'm sure he will."

Charlie paused to sip his tea. "Shall I go on?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, this is helpful, thanks."

"Fourthly … is that a word?"

"It is now."

"Good. Fourthly, you know that Umbridge really is in Azkaban and Fred said the Ministry was almost deserted yesterday. No-one is going to be there on a Sunday, especially on the solstice, to give a rip about what we're up to at The Burrow. That's why this is such a genius plan. Even though it was all a bit accidental."

"You're right."

"Fifth, even if no-one knows what's really going on yet, there's not a guest who wouldn't turn their wand on someone trying to get in the way of you and Fred being together. You're both war heroes. And six," he moved to his other hand, "I was there when mum made that floo-call for you yesterday and I know that your real escort down the aisle would have razed Umbridge to the ground."

Hermione's eyes became wide. "Does everyone know who we've asked?"

"No, love. I just walked in at the wrong time. Mum swore me to silence. But, for the record, I think you've made a fabulous choice there. I might have a daughter myself one day who'll want me to be there for her. Same for dad and all us brothers. What you're doing … well I can't think of anyone more deserving of walking you to Fred."

"Move on, Charlie" Hermione waggled her hand in front of her face. "I'm not crying again all day today, I'm really not!"

"Where did I get to?" Charlie frowned.

"Seven."

"Seventhly, then," he paused to think. "Oh yes, seventhly, I'm not sure I should be telling you this but you probably saw yesterday that there are rather a lot of Wheezes' fireworks around, so we have plenty of distractions should we need them. Eighthly, while you were on your date last night, George and Angelina temporarily placed wards on her dad's cove that link to your magic. Ange is finishing the spell this morning and once she has finished your honeymoon preparations," more eyebrow wiggling ensued, "you and Fred are the only people who will be able to apparate in or out of there until you've completed the bond."

"Wow."

"We've given a lot of thought to this, love. For number nine, I just have three words. Ginevra Molly Weasley."

"Yeah, she's like a battalion in her own right."

"Absolutely, love. Ten is similar. Mum is so happy to see one of her boys with you that neither Umbridge or anyone else would last a minute if they threatened your marriage. It'll make what she did to Bellatrix look tame. And a bonus eleven," he lowered his voice to a whisper and leaned towards her, "as long as Kingsley can get the bonding words out, all you and Fred need to do is apparate to your secret hidey hole and seal your bond and then you'll never have to worry about any of this again."

Hermione blushed.

"See, I knew I'd get you thinking about sex again if I kept going for long enough."

Hermione laughed. "Good work, Charlie."

Charlie leaned back. "Why thank you, my Lady 'Mione. Have we covered all the bases to your satisfaction?"

"We have, Sir Charles!" She bowed and then gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before he pulled her into his arms for a brotherly snuggle just as the door to the living room was pushed open.

"I thought I heard voices," said Ginny. "Good morning! How are you both?"

"Good, sis. Probably not as satisfied as you, though. Good night?"

Ginny's eyes went from one to the other until Hermione explained. "You sounded busy when I came up, so I slept in Bill's bed. Had to tell Charlie why he was getting a roommate for the night. He's not going to say anything."

"I am too. I'm going to give you a lesson in silencing spells," he winked at his sister, who didn't move a muscle.

"How long have you been up with Hermione this morning, Charlie?" Ginny's eyes narrowed.

"About an hour, Gin. But given that you were the reason that she was with me, I hardly think you're in a position to question me!"

"No, silly," Ginny slapped him gently. "I don't mean that, and thanks for keeping your voice down, because the last thing we need today is Mum going off on one about the sleeping arrangements! I mean this, you unobservant git!". She lifted Hermione's left hand and held her fingers just a couple of inches from Charlie's face so he could see Hermione's engagement ring. "Can you see it now?"

"Oh." Charlie realised what she meant and laughed. "Guess I wasn't as attentive a sleepover partner as I thought!"

"It's not a problem," said Ginny, taking Hermione's other hand and pulling her up from the sofa. "But Fleur and I will be taking over from here. So once we've all had breakfast and sat around for a bit and planned the day, you," she pointed to Hermione, "get first crack at the bathroom. I'll get my nice coconut hair potion out and you," she turned and pointed at Charlie, "are allowed to use it today and today alone as thanks for last night." She wagged her finger in time with her words. "Don't tell Bill."

Ginny turned back to Hermione, who was trying hard to keep up. "And then Fleur has you booked into salon Delacour." Then Ginny pointed at Charlie again. "Which is your bedroom but not with you in attendance, just so we're clear. You need to take your stuff out after breakfast and get ready in Ron's room."

Charlie nodded obediently. Ginny was so like Molly at times, and none of her brothers dared argue when a certain look crossed her face. "I will have the bath after you, 'Mione, and then I'll join you at some point. And when I'm done, well then it's a free for all in the bathroom, but we're not going to worry about when these smelly gits all get ready. Now, here's mum with breakfast, so tuck in and drink lots of tea, because once you've got your dress on I'm pretty sure Fleur won't be letting you eat or drink til after you're bonded."


	16. The Dress

Hermione enjoyed her wedding morning breakfast and bath, showed everyone her new ring, blushed a little when asked how her date with Fred went and even had a little time to sit under her favourite tree and relax for half an hour. She had a cup of tea with Arthur in his shed, a quick chat with Harry (in which she decided not to mention the sounds that she had heard coming from Ginny's room the previous evening) and then another cup of tea with Molly at the kitchen table.

Harry popped back while she was still in the kitchen, and shyly opened his hand to show her a small coin.

"It's a sixpence and it was my mother's," he explained. "She wore it in her shoe when she got married, for luck. I talked to Molly before I flooed to Gringotts to get it and she already has one for Ginny when the time comes. You're like my sister and … well as your mum's not here I want you to have my mum's and you should keep it and pass it on to your own daughters, if you and Fred have any."

Before she could say anything other than a quick and emotional thank you, Harry kissed her curls and slipped away to join the Weasley boys in the garden.

As the clock struck one, Fleur led Hermione by the hand into Bill and Charlie's old bedroom. Pointing her wand at Charlie's bed, she shrunk it down to give them plenty of floor space before turning back to the younger witch. Hermione hoped that Charlie had taken Ginny's words seriously and taken what he needed before he had been shut out of his room and banished to Ron's.

"This must be hard. So sudden. I want to lend you my wedding dress, and of course we'll transfigure it into something that suits you. And I promise no frilliness."

Fleur's French accent made her last word difficult to understand, but the intention on her face was pure. Hermione knew that she could trust the former Triwizard champion, and she had a certain respect for the woman who was as courageous as any Gryffindor and as kind as a Hufflepuff.

"Oh Fleur," said Hermione. "This is so kind of you. I hadn't even imagined I would wear a wedding dress until you mentioned it yesterday."

"Well you need not worry" Fleur said kindly. "Bill was just finishing the wards and he is in our attic getting mine right now and he will be back with it very soon."

Hermione nodded. Things had moved so fast. Just yesterday morning, she was single and without worry. Now she was preparing for a wedding which would happen in just a couple of hours. While she was certain that she was marrying the right wizard however, last night's nightmare had made her realise there was still a chance that things could go awry and leave her at risk of having to marry someone who would be a lot less kind to her than Fred.

"Oh chérie," whispered Fleur kindly, stroking Hermione's face and pulling her into a warm embrace.

"I'm OK, Fleur" said Hermione, smiling. "I think I did all my crying yesterday!"

"I am sure it has been many waves, like a roller coaster. But I am prepared for this!" She reached into her bag and pulled out a bottle of cold champagne and three tall stemmed glasses. "This is a tradition in my part of France … champagne and wedding dresses. You will join me?"

"That would be lovely." Hermione realised that, actually, she really could use a drink.

Fleur finished pouring the champagne and handed Hermione a full glass, delicately clinking the rim of it with her own. "Hermione … à votre santé … to your health, and I hope your marriage is as wonderful as mine."

"Thank you, Fleur. Thank you so much for this." Hermione touched the French witch's arm as her eyes turned to the remaining glass of champagne which stood on the bedside table. "Who's the third glass for? You know Ginny is in the bath, and isn't as interested in clothes as some people think?"

"Well … if we are going to make the perfect dress, I need Bill to stay." Fleur gave a Gallic shrug which made Hermione smile. "He invented the most brilliant transfiguration charm which means he can hold the dress in flux while I layer different things on the top. Is OK with you?"

"As long as I'm keeping my underwear on, it's no different from swimming, I guess." For a moment, Hermione wondered if the champagne was a ploy to lower her inhibitions, but decided she didn't care either way. She was enjoying the bubbles too much. She hoped George and Charlie had plenty more of it ready behind their bar.

Fleur reached behind her and picked up a small bag, giving Hermione a quick peek inside. It contained a beautiful silky bra and knicker set. Hermione's eyes lit up when she saw it. Fleur smiled to see her reaction and then leaned forward and whispered into Hermione's ear. "Allow me…" She waved her wand twice, and Hermione giggled as she felt her underwear change. "Something new. Just from me. Though they are very beautiful, so perhaps you will want everyone to see?!"

"I'm not sure I would go quite that far!" laughed Hermione, but she did feel very beautiful in the luxurious underwear which was a far cry from the cotton bra and knickers that she had put on after her bath.

As Hermione began to remove her top and jeans, she saw Bill return with Fleur's wedding dress, which he placed in his wife's arms with a quick kiss to her lips before picking up his champagne, tipping his glass to them both and taking a long drink. He settled onto his old bed, crossing his legs and arranging the pillows behind him as he got comfortable. "Not ogling, love," he reassured Hermione. "Just gonna put the curse breaking training to good use as a dressmaker. If only the goblins at Gringotts knew what I was doing with their expensive education."

Hermione watched as he lifted his wand and moved Fleur's wedding dress towards her. It seemed to sparkle before it settled over her body. As the pair worked together, Hermione realised why they needed two spellcasters; Bill was holding the dress in a state of shimmering flux while Fleur was trying out different styles and shapes, layering them on top of each other.

They made a wonderful team. Hermione wondered briefly if she should turn to watch herself in the mirror, but decided that, actually, Fleur was a better judge than she herself was. She was awed by the way the two worked together. "This is very impressive," she said.

"It's also very necessary if you live with the lovely Fleur, whose penchant for new dresses exceeds even our combined salaries," Bill chuckled. "Kind of funny really. Fleur looks like a fashion model and is actually a Triwizard champion turned badass cursebreaker, whereas I look the part of the leather-clad cursebreaker but spend my spare time helping create cutting-edge ladies' fashion."

"It's a bit of a shame you weren't in my year at school," Hermione grinned at him. "There were a couple of girls who would have given their eye teeth to have your skills at their disposal."

"Well I am trusting you not to share this with anyone other than Fred, thank you. Especially not Charlie. Not sure what it would do to the manly wolf image." Bill rolled his eyes and laughed again.

"Your secret is safe with me." She turned to Fleur, who had paused and was now watching her husband for a reaction. Hermione saw Bill's eyes widen, and took this as a sign to turn to the mirror.

"Oh," she breathed, as she saw herself in a beautiful white dress with a flowing skirt and a fitted top. "I love it."

"You look like a fairy princess!" Fleur declared, lowering her wand and reaching for her champagne.

"Possibly more importantly for my brother, you look edible," Bill added quietly, carefully ending the spell that he had been holding on the dress. When Hermione turned to him quickly, he raised his palms in a gesture of surrender and grinned. "Just saying, love! My lovely wife has done an amazing job, and I approve wholeheartedly."

"Thank you, kind sir," Hermione jokingly curtseyed and then twirled before hugging Fleur. "I really do love it. Merci beaucoup."

"C'est un plaisir, ma soeur." Fleur nodded briefly and then reached for Hermione's champagne glass, taking it from her.

"We need to check one thing, and for this we need Bill for one more moment before we let him rejoin him brothers."

"What's that?" asked Hermione.

"I am loaning you Bill for a quick dance to check that you can move your arms freely enough in the dress. If not, I will adjust the seams."

"Oh, of course!" Hermione smiled.

Fleur stepped backwards as the tall man stood and held out his hand towards Hermione. She stepped into his arms and he twirled her around the small bedroom a few times, lifting and lowering her arms before they mutually decided that the dress was perfect in every way. Bill bowed to her as he let go of her hands and slipped his arm around his wife.

"You really have done a wonderful job, pet." He kissed Fleur on the nose.

"Merci, my love," she replied. "And now you have something borrowed as well as something new, but don't worry about the rest. We have it covered."

Before Hermione could reply, there was a knock on the door.

"Are you decent?"

"Only if you've left your other half elsewhere," shouted Bill. "Groom can't see the bride and all that."

"It's just me," replied George as he walked in the door, and then stopped in his tracks when he saw Hermione.

"Fuck," he muttered.

"Language!" teased Fleur, earning herself an eye roll from George.

"You look bloody amazing," George said to Hermione. "He's going to come in his pants when he sees you walking down the aisle."

"I rather hope not," Hermione replied, wrinkling her nose. "That's not really the kind of ambience I was going for!"

George tipped his head, considering. "Nah, I reckon it'll be OK, love. You do look lush though." He spread out the fingers of one hand so he could count off the messages that he had brought. Hermione smiled, remembering Charlie doing something similar early that morning. "OK, so Fred wants me to say good morning and he can't wait to marry you. But they sent me so he wouldn't see you or the dress." He touched the next finger. "Ange sends this," he reached into his pocket and passed Hermione a small gift-wrapped box, "and says to tell you to open it right away and that everything is set for later at the cove and you're not to worry about anything. And Ginny…"

"Doesn't trust that you'll remember all the important bits so has come herself."

"Oh, Angie's a star" Hermione reached for the box gratefully.

"Open it now, don't forget," he said. "It's something to wear for the wedding. She thinks I don't know what it is, but she's wrong," he winked. "It's blue, by the way."

"OK, George!"

As Fleur shooed George and Bill out of the room, Hermione managed to give Bill a quick hug and whisper a thank you to him, to which he replied with a "shhh" and tapped the side of his nose. "Secret women's business," he said. "You can't ever tell."

"OK" said Hermione, "But next time I have to dress up for a dance, I'm coming to get ready at Shell Cottage! I'll bring the champagne."

Hermione heard Bill laughing all the way to the kitchen. She sat down on his bed and opened the box that George had given her. Blushing, she held the lacy garter up to show Fleur and Ginny.

"Oh nice one, Ange," said Ginny. "Come on, 'Mione, let's get this on!"

Fleur wasn't aware of this particular tradition but gallantly helped Ginny to persuade Hermione to let her ease the garter up her right leg until it adorned her upper thigh. Hermione had insisted that she wasn't going to wear any stockings or tights, given the hot weather, and announced that she was getting married in comfy shoes. Fleur wasn't at all convinced, but eventually gave in to peer pressure and transfigured a pair of Hermione's trainers into something that went slightly better with her wedding gown.

As Hermione was slipping the sixpence from Harry into the side of one of her ballet shoes, Molly knocked and then peeped round the door, holding a wooden box in her hands.

"Come in!"

"Now dear," she said to Hermione, sitting alongside her on the bed. "I believe you need something old. Well there's nothing in here that's younger than you are, so I've brought the whole lot and you can see if anything takes your fancy."

Molly opened her jewellery box and the four witches all peered in. Hermione spotted some rose-shaped earrings and said, "Oh Molly, I'd love to wear these, if I may?"

"Of course you may dear, that's the whole point!" replied Molly, pulling the earrings from their velvety surround and handing them to Ginny, who secured them in Hermione's ears. "I wore those to the very first Ministry Ball that we attended after Arthur began to work there. I'd like you to have them now." She dabbed at her eyes as she took in the sight of Hermione. "Oh, I promised Fred I wouldn't cry until at least halfway through the ceremony!"

"It's OK, I think you're allowed," Hermione reassured. "Fleur, is there any more champagne?"

Fleur raised her eyebrows. "Of course. I was just waiting until the boys had gone. She poured a glass for Molly and Ginny and topped up her own, although Hermione declined a second glass with a wave of her hand.

"I can't risk Kingsley refusing to marry me because I'm tipsy!" she laughed, and then turned to thank Molly again for the earrings. "You've really been so kind."

"Well it's only what you deserve," Molly told her. "And it's totally up to you and of course I understand that you're in a special situation, but I want you to know you're very welcome to call me Mum if you'd like to."

Hermione leaned in for a hug. "Mum…" she tried out, her voice slightly wobbling with the memory that her own mother couldn't be there. "I would really like that."

"No crying, love," Molly said, rubbing her back. "Here, one sip won't hurt, and Kingsley won't dare say no if I'm in full sail…" Hermione smiled, took the offered glass and had a quick swig of Molly's champagne before the Weasley matriarch took it back and downed the rest in one go.

"Hermione." Fleur was all business again. "It is time for hair and make up."

"You best behave now," Molly said, nudging Hermione in the side as if they were naughty schoolgirls.

Ginny looked at Fleur. "Sorry … she doesn't get out much…"

Fleur just laughed and raised her wand. "OK, Hermione, we're nearly there. Are you ready for the finishing touches? Then we can start on Ginny!"


	17. The ceremony

As Ginny made her way down the aisle, Fred found himself briefly wondering who Hermione was going to walk with, or whether she would be coming to meet him alone, as the independent woman that she was. If she had chosen to walk with someone, Fred mused, he wouldn't know whether to bet on his mum and dad, Ron and Harry or a wildcard guess like Charlie or Bill. But he did a quick head count as he waited for Hermione to appear and knew that it wouldn't be Harry or a Weasley.

When he saw who Hermione had asked, it was George who muttered, "oh, of course … that's perfect". Fred was rendered unable to voice his own thoughts as soon as he saw Hermione and her escort. In fact, his eyes filled with tears, and he made no attempt to wipe them. His bride looked so happy in Fleur's transfigured wedding dress as she walked down the aisle on Minerva McGonagall's arm.

Hermione smiled and looked around in wonder at their guests as she made her way towards him, but her eyes kept returning to Fred's.

When Hermione reached Fred, who was standing under the rose-covered arch that Ginny and Fleur had made for them, she turned and embraced her old professor.

"Good luck, Ms Granger, Mr Weasley. I wish you both a very happy marriage," she said, nodding to Fred as she stepped back. Hermione whispered a "thank you", but was interrupted as Fred strode forward and pulled Minerva into his chest, giving her the biggest hug she had received in years. He was unable to speak, but he didn't have to; their teacher knew what he was trying to say. "Mr Weasley," she spoke quietly into his ear. "I trust you will take very good care of my favourite ex-student?"

Fred just nodded into her shoulder, as George launched himself into the hug too, burying his face in Minerva's other shoulder. Hermione wasn't sure whether this was borne of delight at Minerva's presence, the desire to save his twin from having a complete emotional breakdown alone, or a bit of both. Ginny discreetly transfigured a petal from her bouquet into a hanky and handed it to Fred, who gave her a kiss on the cheek. Leaning forward, she took Hermione's flowers out of her friend's hands in the hope of saving them from being completely crushed by the overemotional Weasley brothers.

"Are we all OK to continue?" asked Kingsley quietly, somewhat amused by the display. Hermione, Fred, George, Ginny and Minerva nodded, and Kingsley began to address the room, giving them a chance to compose themselves. In the second row, Bill turned to Angelina and grinned, saying, "and Fred's generally the _less_ emotional twin … I'm going to sit in the front row for yours…"

Angelina rolled her eyes. "Oh don't even go there, Bill. After seeing what they've managed to come up with in just a few hours? I think we should elope!"

Kingsley Shacklebolt had a wonderful way with words. He welcomed everyone to Hermione and Fred's wedding in his deep, reassuring voice and encouraged those attending to remember and celebrate their own love as well as that of the young couple whose bonding they were here to witness. He spoke of the recently ended war, and of the hope that sprung from the fact that Hermione and Fred could celebrate their marriage in love and without fear.

Fred and Hermione were rather too wrapped up in gazing at each other as they stood under the arch to recall his words first-hand. Luckily, as he had promised, Bill was paying close attention so that he could capture his own memories of the event. Years later, the family would still be able to relive the quiet but moving speech in which Kingsley had made it sound as if the young couple had planned this day for weeks, instead of it having all happened in just over twenty four hours.

Next, Kingsley spoke of the deep, everlasting and unbreakable bond that Hermione and Fred had chosen to create between themselves. It was, he said, a matter for every couple to decide what kind of marriage bond was right for them, and he reiterated that everybody present should welcome the freedom of choice that had been won with the war, as they remembered those who had given their own lives in the fight for just this kind of freedom. Hermione held her breath when he asked if anyone had an objection to their marriage, remembering her nightmare. But just as quickly, Charlie caught her eye and she smiled as she also recalled the antidote that he had concocted for her on the sofa in the early hours of that morning.

"We will begin the ceremony," Kingsley said, "by blessing the bonding cord. In a moment, I will invite you all to raise your wands when I hold up the cord that Hermione and Fred have chosen; and to send parchment stars into the air as you send good wishes into their cord. As you may know, the cord is traditionally taken by the couple's family after the ceremony and tied to their bed for them to find after their honeymoon. In this way, it serves as an eternal reminder of their promises to each other and of our well wishes to them."

Kingsley reached onto the cloth-covered table beside him, took the cord into his left hand and held it aloft so that all could see it. "Witches and wizards, please join me in sending your love and good wishes for this couple into the cord that will bind and bond them, now and forever."

Hermione giggled a little as a shower of stars of all colours rained down upon them. She had not known about this part of the ceremony beforehand and was utterly charmed by it. A few stars slipped into the front of her wedding dress. She watched Fred watching their descent and then caught his eye as he looked up again. His eyebrows gave the tiniest twitch, and she knew that he would be following up on their whereabouts later. Hermione felt warm and soft as she realised that they were coming ever closer to their wedding night.

Satisfied that the binding cord was now thoroughly blessed, Kingsley asked Hermione and Fred to place their right hands together, palms facing. He gently moved their fingers so that they were interlinking and began to wind the cord around their clasped hands, chanting the beginning of the ancient bonding spell as he did. The guests sat in a reverent silence. Everyone could now feel the ancient earth magic beginning to surround the circle in which they all sat.

"The rings?" Kingsley turned to George, who proudly opened his hand while turning his head slightly to smile at his mother. He had sworn to Molly that morning that he would not do any tricks or pretend to have lost the rings when his moment came. It wasn't just because Molly understood the utter sacredness of this particular type of ceremony; she felt Hermione had enough to worry about, and he respected that.

George placed the rings into Kingsley's hand but, when he then turned to Hermione and smiled, he was concerned to see that she looked slightly panicked. Frowning questioningly in an attempt to find out what was wrong, she showed George her left hand, on which her engagement ring still sat. She had forgotten to check whether to take it off before the ceremony. Now that her right hand was bound to Fred's, she couldn't do much about it.

George looked at Ginny in a panic. "Take it off her," she whispered to him. She was too far away to reach for it herself but George understood. Bowing slightly to Hermione, he carefully held her left hand in his own and took the engagement ring, putting it on his little finger for safekeeping before stepping back into position beside Fred.

Kingsley offered the wedding rings to the four directions, blessing them. He then held his hand out to Fred and asked him to take Hermione's ring. "Place it on Hermione's finger, use her full name and tell her of your love for her, in whatever words come to you in this moment."

Fred did as he was bid. "Hermione Jean Granger; you are everything I could want in a woman and a witch. I am proud of your bravery, awed by your brains, stunned by your kindness and enchanted by the beauty of your mind, body and soul. I love you, and I give you this ring as a promise that I will walk beside you for the rest of my life, sharing your happiness and sorrow, helping you achieve your hopes and dreams, supporting and protecting you and giving you the love you deserve."

Hermione had tears in her eyes, which she needed to blink away so that she could see to slip Fred's ring onto his finger when it was her turn.

"Frederick Gideon Weasley; I have loved you for years and I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life beside you, no matter what lies ahead. I love you for your kindness, your compassion, your clever creativity and for your deep love of your family and friends. I so value the chaos and joy that you have always brought to my life, and I truly can't wait to continue our journey in this marriage. I promise to love, protect and care for you forever." She carefully slid his ring down his finger.

"Now please place your left hands on each other's waist and step closer together." Kingsley's voice was low now, perhaps because of the increase in the magic that was swirling around them. The couple moved closer; Hermione's head tipped back slightly so that she could look into Fred's eyes. They both felt the power of the magic and of their love for each other. Their right hands remained clasped and bound together between their chests as Kingsley continued with the next part of the bonding spell.

Raising his wand towards their clasped hands, Kingsley spoke the incantations that would seal their bond. Mostly in Latin, he finished in English for the benefit of the younger guests. "I call upon the magic of the earth, on this solstice day, to begin the binding of these two people, now and forever. They have until sunrise tomorrow to seal their bond together and finalise the blending of their magical cores. From that point on, no human, beast or force of nature will be able to break their bond. Love each other, be happy together and know that you will always be supported in this bonding by the magic and the love of your family and friends. Congratulations, Hermione and Fred."

Unbeknown to the happy couple and unlike in other types of wedding ceremonies, the celebrant of the kind of bonding never needed to give verbal permission for the bride and groom to kiss. The magic that issued from Kingsley's wand as he finished the incantation not only sent another shower of stars – this time golden ones – over Fred and Hermione; it caused them to feel the love they already shared in every cell of their bodies and drew them together in a passionate kiss over which they had little control. Fred had intended to dip Hermione backwards as he kissed her, in a crowd-pleasing show of his affection, but in the moment that was not to be. They were both overwhelmed by the magic and simply wound their left hands more tightly around each other as they kissed breathlessly, unable to draw apart for several moments while their guests clapped loudly. Even when their lips separated, they couldn't stop looking into each others eyes; such was the power of the bonding magic.

Kingsley's joy-filled laugh could be heard above the clapping. "May I be the first," he beamed, "to offer my congratulations to you both." He kissed Hermione's cheek and clapped Fred on the shoulder, unable to shake his hand as it was still tied to Hermione's. "And now," he indicated their tied hands and addressed the crowd, "we no longer need the cord to tie you, as we have bound you with magic."

With a small wand movement, the cord came untied and slipped into his hand. He handed it to George and Ginny with a bow. Aware that taking responsibility for tying the cord to the newly-wedded couple's bed was considered a great privilege, they stepped forward, as they had previously agreed. George held the cord out towards their parents while Ginny said, "Mum, Dad, you've got the happiest marriage that we know of. Would you do this for Fred and Hermione?"

Molly's face was a picture as she nodded fiercely, and Arthur reached for the cord, clasping George's hand in the process. "We'll see it done right, son," he told them.

Hermione and Fred were now facing their guests, arms still wrapped around each other. Kingsley indicated that they may like to make their way back down the aisle. "Witches and wizards," he declared, "Please join me in congratulating Hermione and Fred Granger-Weasley!"

There was more clapping from all sides and cheerful music from Lee's direction as the couple walked down the aisle. Ginny stepped forward, expecting George to take her arm and follow them but instead he cocked his head at Harry, whispering, "get up here, mate."

Harry stepped forward, a little confused until George whispered quickly into his ear. Smiling, Harry offered Ginny his arm and they began to follow Fred and Hermione. George then turned and bowed to Minerva. "May I?" he asked, offering her his arm. His old professor gave him a big smile. "You may, Mr Weasley," she said, allowing his to tuck her hand into his arm and escort her down the aisle as if she were a visiting queen.

"My last and happy task," Kingsley told the guests, "is to thank you for coming, to thank the Weasley family for inviting us to join them today and to wish you all a very happy summer solstice day. Let us be merry!"


	18. The pull of the bond

As Fred and Hermione walked back down the aisle, they only had eyes for each other, and several of their guests turned to their partners or friends to comment on this. Few knew that the couple had only known of their shared love for a day and a half, with a good number of people assuming that the war heroine and the resistance fighter had deliberately kept their relationship secret to protect each other during the war.

Hand in hand, the happy couple reached the back of their wedding area and stopped under a small bower while the remainder of their wedding party made their way more slowly through their family and friends, greeting and chatting with people on the way. Fred took the opportunity to lift Hermione into his arms and whirl her gently around.

"We did it, love! We're married, and you're safe! It doesn't matter what the law says now; you're taken, and no-one can make you do anything you don't want to."

"I know Fred!" Hermione took his cheeks in her hands and peppered his face with kisses. "Though I still can't quite believe it … it seems like a bit of a dream!"

"A good one, I hope?"

Hermione nodded. There would be time to tell him about last night's nightmare later.

Slowly, Fred let Hermione slip back down his body, carefully supporting her weight until he was sure that she was steady on her feet. He leaned down, looking into her eyes. "I love you, Mrs Granger-Weasley".

Hermione leaned in to kiss him again. "I love you too, Mr Granger-Weasley." She smiled. "I like the sound of that!"

Fred pulled Hermione even closer, pressing himself against her. "This bond is something else … I want you more than ever," he said.

Her breath hitched. "Me too, Fred," she breathed. "We'll be together in a few hours..."

"I honestly don't know if I can wait that long, love." Fred picked up a curl of her hair and played it through his fingers, still pressing his body to with Hermione's. "If it was up to me, I would finish sealing our bond right now … the bonding magic feels so powerful."

"I know, Fred" she murmured into his ear. "It's affecting me too…"

"No one's looking … I could just burrow under your dress," he smiled into her neck. "Or," he looked more serious as he glanced to one side to see how long they had before the others reached them, "we could apparate to our cove for an hour and then come back to the party."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. She was sorely tempted, but not quite convinced. "The thing with that is, Fred…" she said in a whisper. "Everyone will know what we've been doing!"

"The thing with that is, Hermione…" he replied, the grin still plastered on his face. "Come the morning, when our bond is sealed, everyone's going to know anyway!"

She giggled. "I know. And I'd love to." She was feeling more and more turned on by his touch but realised that they needed to greet their family and friends. "Ginny and Harry and George and Minerva are nearly here though…"

"OK," he sighed, pulling away, while gazing into his bride's eyes once more. "But come tonight … I'm going to make you feel SO good…"

Hermione squeezed his hand and swallowed. Then she took a deep breath, concentrating on trying to dampen her ardour. "What's next?" she asked him, looking around. "I hadn't really thought beyond the actual ceremony, other than I know your family has made food and cake and we'll probably dance and there are fireworks later."

"Next it's my turn," came a voice from beside her.

As Hermione turned, George caught her by the hand, pulling her into his arms and kissing her cheek soundly. "If I may, dear brother?" He held out the finger sporting Hermione's engagement ring and raised his eyebrows at Fred, who laughed and nodded. George went down on one knee. "With this ring, I take thee as my wife-in-law. I promise to take very good care of you when Fred's not about, love your babies as my own and help you get your fair share of dinner when Ron is at the table." Hermione laughed as she allowed George to put her engagement ring back on her finger.

"Very touching Georgie, but you may wish to get your arse back up now before mum or Angelina start to wonder if you've got some sort of triad thing going on." Ginny flicked the back of her brother's head as she came up behind them, still holding Harry's arm.

George grinned as he stood back up, launching himself at his brother for a hug. "Funny, Gin. Maybe in another lifetime though," he winked at Hermione, who laughed.

Harry, Ginny and Minerva added their congratulations and soon enough they had, without really intending to, formed an informal receiving line, as their guests started to leave the area where the ceremony had been held and head back out into the sunny garden. Charlie had been the first to pass them, giving Hermione a quick kiss and clasping his brother's hand on his way through. "Mum wants me to get some drinks on the go for this lot," he said. "So I'll catch you properly later." Just a couple of minutes later, Molly and Arthur had joined the little group and they all took turns greeting and chatting to their guests as they passed by on their way to Charlie's bar.

"Ladies, gentlemen, witches, wizards…" Arthur's voice sounded above the noise once everyone had said hello to Fred and Hermione. "We invite you to relax and enjoy the garden. There are drinks by the orchard and food on the grill. Thank you so much for joining us; please make yourselves at home."

Spotting an opportunity for more alone time as many of their family and friends headed for the refreshments, Fred pulled Hermione behind a tree.

"I like your dress," he told her, as his fingers wandered around the back of her waist.

"Mmmmmm," she murmured, nestling into his touch again. "They did a wonderful job."

"They?" asked Fred. "You mean Fleur and Ginny?"

"Yeah, something like that," Hermione smiled.

Fred's eyebrows lifted. "Oh?"

"I'll tell you later," she promised.

He nodded. "Was everything OK after you got in last night, love? Charlie told George you had a bit of a nightmare?" His fingers continued to wander over her body.

"Mmmmm." She nuzzled into his neck, licking the shell of his ear before speaking softly into it. "I was going to tell you about it later; I didn't realise you knew already. I was sleeping in Charlie and Bill's room, and Charlie helped no end. He got up with me and we drank tea and talked it through."

"But don't you have a bed in Ginny's room?" Fred looked confused and pulled back slightly.

"Yes, and you can ask why I ended up on the other side of the landing if you want, but it involves your sister being rather more grown up than you all seem to want her to be, so think carefully before you do! I sought refuge and Charlie let me sleep in Bill's bed." Hermione's hands moved lower, playing with the fabric of Fred's robes.

Fred kissed her neck as he chuckled. "It's always been musical beds at The Burrow, though if I had put money on which of my brothers you would room with on our wedding eve, I would have picked Ron and Harry…"

"Not with Ron's snoring, thank you! I'm glad you're OK with it, Fred. I imagined you would be, but some men would probably find it odd."

Fred shrugged, moving his lips to her shoulder. "I trust you with all of them, love. And I'm glad Charlie was there for you. Must thank him later."

"Me too, actually. Ginny sent him off with a flea in his ear when she got into Molly mode this morning, and I've hardly seen him since. God, this is hard…" she wound the fingers of one hand into Fred's hair as she tailed off.

"What is it, love?"

"Well I really feel we ought to go and see people; mingle a bit … but all I want to do is be here with you..."

Fred murmured in agreement and leaned down for another kiss, gently pressing her back against the tree. As he did, his fingers began to wander down over her bottom and the curves of her thighs. He was surprised when he felt the soft ridge of Hermione's garter. Unsure what it was, he played with it for a moment, making Hermione giggle.

"What's this," he asked.

"A present from Angelina," she winked, still playing with his hair.

"For you or me?"

"Both, I think."

"Oh?"

"You'll find that out later too, I'm sure." Hermione stroked his arm. "Especially if George has anything to do with it."

Fred groaned. "Why is everything happening later? I normally enjoy mum's solstice gatherings, but I want you so much, love, and I don't know how I'm going to last."

Hermione agreed with him and leaned her forehead on his chest. The bonding magic was pulsing insistently between them, and it was hard for her to think of anything else except holding and touching and loving the redheaded wizard in her arms.

"I don't know how I'm going to get through the next few hours if I'm going to continue to feel like this. All I want is to press myself against you … be alone with you." She leaned in closer, whispering. "Fred, I've never felt this much desire for anyone … even you. And I want to talk to our guests but that will mean leaving your arms. How am I going to do that? I'm beginning to think maybe we _should_ apparate to the cove for an hour."

Fred leaned down and nuzzled her neck again. He couldn't get enough of the way she smelled.

"Yeah, it's crazy magic, love."

He heard footsteps and looked up to see Bill striding towards them, closely followed by Charlie. Both of Fred's older brothers had wide grins on their faces as they approached the couple who were wrapped around each other.

"We wondered," started Bill, "if you might be having a problem that we could help with?"

Hermione blushed. "I suppose it would be fair to say that we are having a small problem, but I'm pretty sure it's nothing you can help with."

Charlie leaned down. "Don't be so sure of that, lovely. Big brother Bill here knows a bit about this kind of bonding magic, it turns out."

Bill raised his eyebrows at Fred. "You have to learn about all sorts of things in my line of work."

Fred met his brother's eyes. "We're not sure what we're going to do. Not to put too fine a point on it, but we can't keep our hands off each other. We knew the marriage would increase our desire, but we didn't realise it might get in the way of us having conversations with everybody. All I want to do is apparate Hermione away and complete our bond. But we don't want to miss out on our wedding day."

Bill chuckled. "There is a solution, little brother, don't worry."

"What is it?" asked Hermione, still holding tightly onto Fred, now stroking his chest with the fingers of one hand while she cupped his hip with the other.

Charlie smiled. "Just a basic home remedy; nothing that will interfere with your bonding later..."

"Indeed," said Bill. "This is an ancient kind of bonding, as you know, and you need to get physical before sunrise to complete it, but the idea isn't to torture you or take you away from your family. Somehow – and I don't know exactly how it works, love, sorry," he grinned down at Hermione, who was poised to ask for more information, "any degree of hunger or thirst increases the pull of the bond, and I don't imagine either of you ate a proper lunch?"

They both shook their heads, and Bill continued. "We just need to get you apart long enough to get a bit of food and drink into you both, then. And this won't just be today, by the way. It'll get easier once you've completed the bond, but you might want to carry some chocolate or nuts in your robes for the next few weeks, just in case you feel overwhelmed at an inopportune time."

"Brilliant," said Hermione. "I have the perfect excuse for two trips to Honeydukes in a week!"

Fred rubbed more circles on her lower back, still keeping her close to his body. "So if we can make it to the barbeque, that'll help?"

"Barbeque and bar, that's where we're all going. Fred, you and I should head for the meat." Fred laughed as Bill emphasised the final word. Ever since the Greyback incident, Bill had always been first in line at the barbeque, generally hoiking meat off the coals after only a minute or two of cooking. "It'll be more effective if we separate you for a bit, so Charlie's going to take Hermione to the bar first and then we'll swap places; he'll feed up 'Mione here and I'll get a beer in you. Once the two of you have had a good lunch and a drink or two, the pull won't be as strong, even when you're standing close."

Charlie offered his arm to Hermione. "Shall we, my lady 'Mione?"

Hermione smiled, but didn't look convinced. Neither did she let go of Fred. "I can see the theory, but I'm not sure. I really don't want to be apart from him."

Charlie looked at Bill. "Plan B?"

Bill nodded. "I think so, and we've already established that you're her favourite of us two." He grinned at Hermione. "Sorry, love, but I'm going to take the chance that you'll thank us later, when you have a nice day to look back on." He leaned in and winked as he spoke in a low voice, "and Fred'll be all yours all night…"

Bill slipped his arm around Fred's shoulders, ready to gently but firmly steer him away from Hermione as soon as Charlie swung her up into his arms and strode away in the other direction across The Burrow's garden towards the bar. Hermione was too surprised to protest. She looked back over Charlie's shoulder at Fred, who looked slightly concerned, but Bill turned his brother around and walked him towards the patio, where Percy and Ron were manning a muggle barbeque. Beside them was a long table filled with salads, cheeses, all manner of breads and at least ten different side dishes.

"Now you can see how Percy and I spent yesterday afternoon," Bill murmured in a low voice. "I promise you'll feel better in two ticks, little brother." He ignored the queue, strode around to the side of the cooking area and caught Percy's eye. Percy, who had clearly already been briefed on the problem beforehand, reached under the grill and pulled out a plate on which he had already prepared a large roll filled with cheese and salad. Deftly, he added a juicy, sizzling burger to the roll and handed it to Fred.

"Here you are," he said. "Enjoy, Fred. Bill's confident it will help."

Fred nodded in thanks and did as he was told. The burger was thick and tasty and he began to feel better almost immediately. "That's crazy," he said to his brothers after he had eaten half of his food. "But I definitely feel better. I seriously thought we were going to have to apparate out. Or nip behind dad's shed for twenty minutes."

Ron snorted and Percy smiled wryly. "That would have been unwise. You know that some sort of light is usually released the moment a bond like that is fully sealed? We would all have seen, and I'm not sure your wife would have appreciated that."

"Shit, no," Fred shook his head. "Gods, there's so much I don't know about this bonding. We didn't have time to look into it beforehand. I wonder what else we're going to encounter?"

"Let's not worry about that now," Bill told him. "Look, Charlie and Hermione have got drinks and are heading over here. I told him to circle round and stay a few yards away from us til we had filled you both up. We'll loop round the other way and go see what your other other half has to offer in the way of beer."

Fred laughed. "Yeah, I guess I have two other halves now. Lucky me."

Thirty seconds later, upon her arrival at the barbeque with a glass of wine in hand, Hermione was immediately awarded a seasoned chicken and vegetable skewer by Percy, who urged her to eat it quickly even as she chose more food for a plate that Ron held for her. She was touched that they had known between them what her favourite type of barbeque meat was, but Percy brushed away her compliments, remarking that it was an inevitable consequence of being one of the quieter family members and spending most of your time at mealtimes observing others.

Hermione and Charlie stepped out of the way so that others could get food and began to walk towards where Molly and Arthur sat. "You and Bill were right," she told her brother-in-law, tugging on his robes to stop him briefly so that they could have a private chat before they joined the others to sit and finish their food. "If feels much better now that we have some physical distance between us and I've had a bit of food." He laughed at that. "What a rush, though! Can I tell you something just for your ears, Charlie, not for sharing?" Charlie nodded and held his hand over his heart in a promise. "I've wanted Fred since I was really quite young, but the pull to be with him physically now that we're bonded … it's like nothing else I've ever felt."

"And you know that's gonna last for a while?" grinned Charlie, raising his eyebrows.

Hermione nodded. "Yes, I did know that bit. That's why we said to everybody when we were planning the wedding yesterday that they might need to send us away from family dinners for a few weeks!"

Charlie smiled again. "You'll learn to manage it between the two of you. After tonight, you'll be connected in other ways, and the pull will feel different, I believe. Bill was telling me about it before." He leaned in closer and lowered his voice even more. "The fact that you and Fred haven't shagged each other before is likely to make it even stronger. Your first time should be pretty explosive, you lucky little witch." Charlie widened his eyes to emphasise his point and Hermione pushed his chest gently in response. The muscular wizard didn't budge. "OK, OK, lovely! But at least now you know there's a solution. Either snack before you come out, or we need to tell mum to be ready to hand you a starter when you arrive at The Burrow for dinner!"

Over at the bar, three tall redheaded brothers stood with beers in their hands. "You're right," Fred told Bill. "The alcohol damps it down even more. I still want her like crazy, but at least I can think of other things as well now."

"I'll make sure I keep you well supplied through the evening then," George grinned at his twin. "I must say though, I can't decide whether I'm jealous or whether this is good reason to have a more modern wedding. I'm going to keep a close eye on you two over the next few weeks so I can make up my mind!"

Bill laughed. "Let's wait and see how he copes with the first dance!"

"Oh fuck," Fred groaned. He had forgotten that particular tradition.

"Don't worry, Freddie," George reassured him. "Percy's going to make sure to fill you full of Penelope's cake first!"


	19. Fred and Hermione's wedding dance

As the afternoon continued, there was much congratulating of the newly married couple. Perhaps inevitably, many people expressed some surprise at the speed of Fred and Hermione's marriage, and the pair soon learned that the most effective response to this was to gaze at each other and say that the war had sharpened their perspective and they just hadn't wanted to wait any longer. This generally resulted in a bit of cooing and allowed them to move on to answer questions about whether they would be having a honeymoon (yes; just a few days at a secret location), what they planned to do when back (not sure yet, but we'll work it out together) and whether they were planning babies (give us time and we'll see).

Once everyone had had their fill of the barbeque, Penelope levitated the wedding cake from the kitchen and Hermione and Fred were called to come and cut it. George and Ginny took the opportunity to make impromptu speeches as Charlie used his wand to levitate a glass of champagne to each guest so that Molly and Arthur could lead a toast to the newlyweds.

Fred and Hermione stood to thank everyone for joining them before they cut into the cake and Hermione delightedly discovered that Fred had requested chocolate fudge. She rolled her eyes back at the exquisite taste and Penelope was delighted to see how much the couple were enjoying her efforts. They fed each other cake and champagne before kissing again. This time it was George who decided that they needed some time apart, telling Hermione that he was commandeering his brother for a bit. He barely waited for an answer before marching Fred away.

Hermione realised that she needed a break from socialising and was happy to find Percy and Penelope sitting on a bench in a corner of the garden. They invited her to join them for a quiet half hour in which she didn't have to make small talk and, by the time she heard George's voice booming across the lawn with the help of a sonorous charm, she was well rested and ready to mingle again.

"Beloved witches and wizards, please start making your way over to our dance floor; the bride and groom will be having their first dance in just a few minutes time. On which note," he slowed his words down for emphasis before adopting a more official voice, "paging Hermione Granger-Weasley … Hermione Granger Weasley please report to her husband-in-law immediately."

A few laughs broke out around the garden and several people turned their heads to look for Hermione.

"No rest for the wicked or the newly bonded, then," smiled Percy, offering his hand to help her up.

"It appears not!" Hermione laughed, pulling her shoes back on.

"Enjoy…" said Penelope, and Hermione gave her a big smile before setting off towards George, who she could see standing at the edge of the area that had been designated for dancing. One whole side was lined by trees, offering some shelter from the wind. That wasn't necessary today though; the sun had stayed out although, happily, the extreme heat of the previous couple of weeks had dissipated a little.

"My lady 'Mione," George bowed and offered his hand, which she took. Slightly suspicious of the way he was using Charlie's nickname for her, she looked around for Fred.

"Where's my husband?" she asked George.

"I'll take you to him in two ticks … promise. First, though, I just have to do this. Please." He produced a scarf from his pocket, indicating that he wanted to blindfold her with it and arranging his face to display the patented Weasley twin puppy dog eyes in the hope of persuading her to go along with his request.

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "What's going on, George?"

"Once someone has seen the way to our secret place, that person cannot leave. So this is for your freedom, really. Also, Charlie thought it would be cool."

"Right, well if Charlie thought it would be cool…" she rolled her eyes and wondered why his words sounded so familiar but laughingly allowed George to tie the scarf around her face anyway. He and Charlie hadn't done wrong by her in the past day or so, so she didn't imagine they would start now.

"OK, hang on," George said, as his arms enveloped her. He lifted her a few inches off the ground just before they apparated, for which Hermione was grateful. It meant that she didn't risk losing her footing in the long dress when he landed them on a very uneven wooden floor. After a moment, George gently set her down, ensuring that she was upright and stable before letting her go and removing the blindfold.

Standing in front of her was Fred, and she looked around to realise that they were in the Weasley kids' treehouse, which was somewhat more impressive than the two muggle treehouses that she played in as a child. It stood about forty feet high, contained two rooms and had a balcony which looked down over the dance area.

"Please be OK with this, love," Fred took her hand, pulling her to him for a long kiss, which she returned hungrily. He broke away, reluctantly, to explain. "This is apparently the first part of our wedding present from George and Charlie."

"A chance to sneak away for a snog in a treehouse?"

"Mmmmm, that sounds like an even better plan than theirs…" he slanted his lips over Hermione's again and tilted his head to give her a deeper kiss.

"Oi, none of that," said George, pointing something out to Charlie, who nodded. "All working," he told his brother.

"Righty-ho," Charlie replied, tapping gently on Hermione's shoulder. "Hey lovely, can we have your attention, or do we need to get more cake into you first?"

"I'm paying attention, but what is that?" Hermione asked, still holding onto Fred but now looking in the direction where George was pointing. It looked like a piece of used bubblegum was stuck to the wall with a couple of strings of goo trailing from it.

"Extendable ears. Two-way," said George, as if the answer was obvious.

"Oh," Hermione didn't really know what else she could add to that.

Charlie leaned forward. "We figure once everyone sees you and Fred do it, they're all going to want a go, so we need one of us down there and one up here and a way to communicate. Genius, these things."

"So they are," she agreed, still wondering what was going on. She was about to ask what everyone was going to see her and Fred so when she saw Charlie pull a complicated-looking rope contraption towards them. Fred grinned broadly, Hermione suddenly remembered where she had heard George's earlier line before, and it all became clear.

"Oh no," she laughed, realisation dawning. "You haven't?!"

"We have," they said together, proudly.

"Is it safe?"

"As houses," said Charlie. "You'll be going down on dragon-strength rope," he tugged at it to demonstrate how securely it was attached to the tree, "and we have it loaded with speed-limiting charms."

"Plus I'll be on the ground in case we need a cushioning charm," beamed George. "But we won't," he added quickly.

"Apparently they tested it out several times with Bill and Fleur when we were on our date last night, so they know it works." Fred was still grinning.

Hermione was shaking her head and laughing. "And if I say no?"

"You won't," said Fred. "You love that Robin Hood film, you picked the Bryan Adams song and we all know now that you're not nearly as serious as you used to want us to think you were."

She squeezed his hand and winked in reply.

"Don't," he said, leaning towards her so that his brothers couldn't hear. "You know how hard it makes me when you do that, and we've still got a few hours of party before I can take you away…"

Hermione just smiled. She was so looking forward to the end of the evening.

"Look, pretty much everyone's here," George reported from the window, causing the others to look out. Their friends and family were indeed gathering around the edges of the dance floor. Molly was busily looking for Hermione and had also begun to realise that she had mislaid half of her sons.

"We'd better hurry up before she goes back inside to look at the clock to find out where we all are," Charlie said.

"I'll go and get into position and get Lee's attention." George saluted Hermione and Fred and his brother returned the gesture before George apparated away.

"OK then, let's do it, before I change my mind." Hermione took Fred's hand and stepped forward. "What do I do?"

"Step out onto the balcony with me," said Charlie, "and put your feet on these."

Obediently, Fred and Hermione placed their feet onto the knots of rope that Charlie showed them and allowed him to wrap more loops around Fred's right wrist and Hermione's left. Fred put his free arm around Hermione's waist, hitching her body close to his, and she put hers around his back, grabbing a handful of his shirt. Charlie leaned towards the extendable ear. "Cue Lee in ten seconds," he told George.

"Roger that," George's voice sounded slightly muffled through the ear speaker, but the thumbs up he was giving them from the ground made his intention clear. Fred and Hermione saw him wave to Lee, who was manning the sound system, and Lee gave him the thumbs up sign. "Witches and wizards," George said again, loudly. "Please welcome Mr and Mrs Granger-Weasley to the dance floor."

As the first bars of the piano introduction sounded through Lee's speakers, Charlie simply extended his wand. The rope tightened to take Fred and Hermione's full weight as the edge of the balcony slid away from under their feet. Once they had settled and felt secure, Charlie lifted his wand to begin their descent.

Below and just a few yards away, the assembled wizarding folk began to look around, somewhat confused by the apparent absence of the happy couple at their own first dance, until Bill nudged Ginny and pointed up into the trees. Her squeal alerted everyone else, and a chorus of 'oooos' and 'aaaaah's broke out as more people began to spot Hermione and Fred. They hung from the rope, Fred's right arm extended upwards while his left arm was wrapped around Hermione. Molly gasped, and her hands flew to her mouth. It was the most romantic thing she had ever seen. Arthur hugged her tightly to his side.

By the time Bryan Adams' voice began to sing over the speakers, Fred and Hermione had both relaxed. Looking into each other's' eyes, they enjoyed the music and allowed George and Charlie to control their slow descent from the treehouse to the dance floor, rotating them gently as they were lowered. Later, they had no memory of the way in which cheering had broken out amongst their family and guests when they landed and were immensely grateful that Lee had recorded the whole thing on several different cameras.

Once their feet were firmly back on the earth, Fred and George quickly removed the ropes and helped ensure that Hermione's dress wasn't tangled before Fred led her onto the dance floor proper and they smoothly continued their slow dance, to the ongoing delight of the crowd. Fred leaned closer and sang the softly into Hermione's ear, "would fight for you … would lie for you … walk the wire for you … yeah, I'd die for you… you know it's true …. everything I do …. I do it for you…" She was openly weeping now, unable to hold her emotions in any longer.

"I love you, Fred Granger-Weasley," she murmured into his ear. "I honestly don't think I've ever been happier than in this moment."

A few yards away, Bill whispered to Ginny and then took her by the hand, apparating her across to the bottom of the tree house, where he then handed her to George and took the younger twin's position so that George could apparate Ginny up to the balcony and then descend with her in the same fashion, joining Fred and Hermione on the dance floor.

Bill caught his father's eye, raised his eyebrows and held out a hand in invitation. Arthur gleefully took Molly by the hand and walked over to his eldest son while his wife shook her head, laughing. She still allowed her husband and sons to send her up, fit her into the ropes and give her and Arthur their own romantic experience, much to Fred and Hermione's delight. After that, almost everyone took a turn, and quite a few people – notably George and Ginny – went back several times.

A while later, it was Hermione who noticed that one wizard hadn't yet ridden down the rope with a partner, and she whispered to Fred, "come with me." Explaining to him quickly on their way, she apparated them to the top of the treehouse, which was currently empty but for Charlie.

Hermione held out her hand to her brother-in-law. "Charlie, may I have this dance?" She leaned in closer. "I know why you're not down there chatting anyone up, but you deserve a romantic moment just like everyone else … may I stand in, just this once?"

"Love to," he grinned, taking her hand, as Fred held the ropes and readied his wand. They were lowered together, and Charlie rested his head on Hermione's shoulder as they enjoyed the slow descent and a dance. After a minute or so, she heard him chuckle softly, and lifted her head to try to see what was happening. He danced her around so that they could both watch. George had requisitioned Bill and Fleur to control the ride while he apparated up to the treehouse and collected his brother. George and Fred were now descending together, cheek-to-cheek. When they reached the dance floor, however, they couldn't seem to agree on who was going to lead, and so a small wrestling match ensued until Fleur and Minerva stepped in and solved the problem by each taking a brother's hand and towing them out onto the dance floor.

It was another half an hour until Fred and Hermione were back in each other's arms. Their feet were tired, they truly felt that they had danced with everyone between them and they were about ready for a sit down. Fred looked up at the now quiet treehouse. "That was a great addition to the festivities, don't you think?" Fred asked his wife.

"It was brilliant," Hermione replied. "But I really need to sit down again for a bit now!"


	20. Into the evening

Fred took Hermione's hand and led her to a circle of sofas that she hadn't noticed earlier. There had always been a firepit at The Burrow, and the Weasleys had enjoyed many bonfires around it. But someone – or more likely a few someones – had transfigured the circle of logs which usually surrounded it into soft seats. Fred selected a low green sofa, pulling Hermione onto his lap. They cuddled for a few minutes, her head nestled into his shoulder. Now that they had had a few hours to get used to their new bond, they were slightly more able to manage the pull that they felt towards each other, but they were both still full of desire.

Hermione nuzzled into Fred's neck, kissing and licking his skin and his fingers wandered to the neckline of her dress.

"Hey, mister…" she spoke softly. "We're not alone yet, you know."

"I know, love," he whispered back, not stopping the movement of his long fingers, which were now sweeping inside her dress. "I just remembered the stars from earlier, and wondered how far down they had gone…"

She captured his hand in hers, holding it still. "Actually, I may have fished a few out when I went to the loo and put them in my bag for my wedding memory box. But there may still be one or two for you to find later…"

He leaned in for a kiss, tipping his head to one side and savouring her lips as he wound his hand around Hermione's waist. She moaned softly.

"Hey now, lovebirds." George's voice was unmistakeable and the pair looked up to see that he and Charlie had bounded over and were arranging themselves on the arms of the sofa, one either side of Fred and Hermione.

"We have another present for you," George told Hermione.

"Oh wow, guys," she said. "I'm not fully recovered from your first present yet. I'm having some chill time with Fred."

"S'OK, lovely." That was Charlie. "You can stay sitting down for this bit."

George glanced across at him. Charlie winked. Hermione looked between the two, feeling unsure about what was coming next.

"So, you're still wearing Angelina's present, yes?" Charlie's hand moved towards Hermione's thigh, as if to check for the presence of the lacy garter that her old friend had given her as her 'something blue'.

Hermione gently pushed his hand away, laughing. "I think that's for me to know and for Fred to find out later, don't you?"

"That's a yes then," George said, looking at Charlie and clapping his hands together in glee.

"Oh," said Fred, having just in that moment realised what it was that he had felt earlier on. His eyes were wide and his hand wandered across Hermione's lap to feel for the lacy garment again. She didn't push him away, but held his hand firmly in place, not wanting him to further increase her desire by playing with her thigh.

Charlie continued. "And you know what the wedding reception tradition is with that, right?"

"Tradition?" Fred asked, a bit confused, as Hermione's mouth opened slightly. She swallowed.

"Yes," said his twin. "Ange told us all about it. It's a muggle thing, so we thought Hermione might appreciate it."

"Really," said Hermione, "there's no need. It's a lovely gift, but I don't want to make a spectacle –"

"You won't be a spectacle," reassured George, interrupting her. "We'll just sit you on a chair…"

"With your legs slightly apart," added Charlie.

"Dress covering them, of course. Dignity at all times. At least for you…"

"Yes, of course." Charlie looked at George as if he had made a scandalous suggestion. "We're not bothered about Freddie's dignity though. We'll bind his hands behind his back. Just temporarily..." Charlie winked. "I know you'll need them tonight."

Fred was shaking his head and beginning to laugh.

"We send him crawling up your dress…" he continued.

"I know this bit, Charlie," said Hermione. "It's a muggle tradition, remember? Fred removes my garter using just his mouth and emerges from underneath my dress holding it in his teeth, like a prize, to rapturous applause from the audience that you have gathered to watch us embarrass ourselves."

"Exactly."

George tipped his head to one side. "How does that sound?"

"Bloody torturous," replied Fred. "You do know we're having trouble keeping our hands off each other? What do you think that's going to do to us? Putting me that close to Hermione's… Do you WANT this wedding to become X-rated?"

Charlie grinned. "That's why the second bit of mine and George's present is that we're _not_ going to make you do that here. In recognition of the pull of the bond that you've taken to save our lovely Lady 'Mione." He lifted and then kissed her fingers. "But we thought it important to let you know what a sacrifice we're making."

"Because it would have been excellent entertainment!" George's grin was wide.

Hermione was immensely relieved. "I am sure it would, but I am very happy you're not going to put us through that, thank you boys."

The grin left George's face and he leaned towards her. "God, I love it when you do the prefect voice."

"Me too," Charlie agreed with a wink at his brother. "You lucky bastard, Fred."

"Charles Weasley, you are not too old to go over my knee for language!" Charlie winced as he heard his mother's voice behind them.

"Mum!" exclaimed Hermione. "What perfect timing you have!"

When they realised that Molly and Arthur had come over for a chat, George and Charlie took themselves back to the bar, where Bill was waiting for them.

"We just wanted to spend a few minutes with you," said Molly, patting Hermione's hand. "And tell you how proud we are of you both."

Arthur reached forward to grasp his son's shoulder. "Fred, I know it turned out you loved Hermione anyway, but I couldn't be prouder of the way you've stepped up to save her from this blasted threatened marriage law. I'm so happy to call you my son."

Hermione looked at him with so much love in her eyes, and Arthur reached out with his other hand to take hers.

"Hermione," continued Molly, sitting down on the arm of the sofa that Charlie had recently vacated. "What you've done for our world … we couldn't be prouder of you either, and we want you both to know that we want to do whatever we can to help. This has all been rather sudden, and it might be harder than you think to adjust, so if you need anything –"

"Anything at all," Arthur added.

"A freezer full of meals, a bit of advice,"

"Some space from the madness," Arthur winked at Hermione, who winked back. Fred and Molly exchanged amused glances which they hoped Arthur wouldn't notice.

"Anything at all, you just let us know. And Hermione, could I talk to you alone for a tick?" That was Molly, and Hermione slipped off Fred's lap, allowing her mother-in-law to lead her to the edge of the orchard.

"Dear, don't be embarrassed please, but I've popped a parcel in the bag that Ginny has packed for you. She doesn't know it's there and it's all wrapped up to look like I've sent you some cakes." Hermione nodded, though she didn't understand at all.

Molly patted her arm. "I don't want to make any assumptions, and I'm not asking to know anything that isn't my business, dear, but your own mum isn't around, so somebody needs to take care of you.

The parcel contains a potion that will stop you getting pregnant if you're not ready to start a family just yet." She held her palms up. "I don't need to know if you already know this or have it covered or not; just throw it out if you don't need it, but I can't have you going unprepared."

Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but Molly was in full flow and there was no chance to interrupt.

"You can't take it tonight; it would interfere with the bond, but you can start taking it in the morning if you want. A dropper full a day, best if you take it upon waking. Tastes like dirt, so chase it with some pumpkin juice. There's enough for three months and I've included the recipe. But come over to The Burrow anytime and I'll teach you to make it or to do a contraception spell or anything else you need."

"Oh Molly … Mum, I hadn't even thought of that!" Hermione reached for the older woman. "Thank you so much."

"That's what mums are for, sweetheart." Molly hugged her tightly and kissed Hermione's cheek. "Now, is there anything I can help you with before tonight? Anything you are worried about, or need to know?"

Hermione wondered for a second whether to tell Molly that she had already received some grade A sex advice from her second eldest son, but thought better of it.

"Honestly, I don't know." She lifted her eyes to the sky and thought for a bit before shaking her head. "Not that I can think of at the moment. But I really appreciate knowing you're there if there is."

Molly hugged her again. "Well you know where I am." Molly patted her. "And don't forget, it's in the bag!" She took Hermione's hand in hers and led her back to Fred.

"Now you be good to her, Frederick Gideon," she told him as she pulled her tall son up off the sofa and into a hug. "I've wanted this lovely woman as a daughter-in-law for years now, and I'm so happy for you that you're the one she loves. So I trust you'll take very good care of her, or you'll have me to contend with, never mind Harry and Ron," she warned him with a wink.

Fred nodded as he reached around and pulled Hermione to his side. "Course I will, mum. She'll have a lifetime's supply of wicked wheezes."

"Indeed; to inflict upon you if you should displease me," Hermione retorted.

Fred grinned. "That sounds like the kind of challenge I enjoy!"

"Just you wait," Hermione winked at him.

Molly looked at Arthur, who laughed and shook his head as he looked from one to the other. "Your kids…" she said. "I know you'll probably make me wait a few years before you start a family, but I can't wait to see how the combination of your genes turns out one day!"

Molly kissed and patted them both once more before leaving the little gathering to greet Ginny, who was heading towards them with Harry and Ron. Under his breath, Arthur said, "I give her six months before she starts dropping serious hints about grandchildren, so enjoy it while it lasts." He moved as if to leave and then hesitated before leaning in again. "You might get a few weeks' respite if Bill and Fleur get on with it, but my money says that'll speed her up, not slow her down."

Fred laughed softly. "Let me know when you open that book and I'll be in on the action."

"I will, son," Arthur chuckled, as more of his family headed their way. "Hey up," he said. "All the troops are arriving now. What's next then?"

"It's chill out time," said Ron.

Harry stepped up as well. "We wanted to make sure that Fred and Hermione could get going before it got dark and be at the beach for the sunset, so we're moving their finale up with the help of Charlie's weather spells. We'll take it down after so we can watch the sunset here after you go…"

"Weather spells?" Hermione looked impressed. She saw that Charlie had moved some distance away from the circle and was making wide sweeps around the sky with his wand.

"Yeah, that was news to me as well," said Bill. "Apparently they occasionally need to get dragons to their nests earlier in the summer, so they've perfected the art of slowly darkening the sky with magic."

George arrived. "Which is just what we need for –"

"Fireworks!" finished Fred.

Within minutes, everyone had assembled comfortably on the sofas. A large bonfire had been set in the middle of the circle and Hermione snuggled into Fred as they watched the sky over The Burrow temporarily darken under Charlie's wand. Arthur pointed his own wand at the bonfire and flames licked around the wood.

"Look, Hermione," teased Ron, pointing to the bonfire and reminding her of the day that she had forgotten that she could create fire with magic. She laughed softly before resting her head back on Fred's shoulder as they both laid back on the sofa to gaze at the sky.

"What an amazing day this has been," Hermione whispered. "I wouldn't have had a better time if we had spent months planning this."

"I'll wager we wouldn't have had nearly as much fun if we had had to endure all the planning!"

She laughed. "Probably!"

Hermione felt a weight settle on her other side and discovered that Charlie had decided to squeeze into their sofa as well. "Do you mind?" he asked Fred. "I'm going back to Romania in the morning, so I won't be here when you get back, which makes this my last chance to cuddle my lady 'Mione before you take her off and make her a woman…"

Fred snorted, keeping Hermione snuggled into his side. "I've waited years to cuddle her under the fireworks, Charlie, so I'm buggered if I'm handing her over to you, but maybe she'll let you have a finger or toe to hold…"

Hermione laughed, reaching out a hand which Charlie took into his lap, holding it in both of his. She squeezed, wanting to thank him for all the ways in which he had supported her throughout the past couple of days, and he understood.

"I'll be back again in few weeks," he told her. "I've got some leave I need to use up before the end of the year and my boss says I need to get on with taking it. But will you owl me in the meantime and let me know how the honeymoon goes?"

"Absolutely," she whispered back. "And I haven't forgotten that I'm going to do a bit of research for you when I get back either."

Charlie nodded. He wasn't sure what to say to that, and he definitely didn't want to get his hopes up, so he just squeezed her hand again and looked up into the sky, where the first sparks were beginning to appear.

The firework display was testament to how much fun George and Fred had had at their impromptu stag do. It wasn't the most sophisticated set ever, but it was full of fun and a few surprises. There were heart-shaped explosions, huge star-filled rockets, a pack of running weasels and a dancing otter for Hermione. Lee played more music as a backdrop and the finale involved a series of giant orange and magenta letters depicting Hermione and Fred's initials soaring into the sky and then merging together at the end. Even Fred seemed surprised, and Hermione realised that George must have added that part himself sometime during the day after he realised what they had chosen to do with their names.

As the letters finally exploded into a multitude of more multi-coloured stars, Fred tightened his hold on his bride. "Are you ready?" he whispered into her ear. Hermione nodded. "Right then, love" he murmured into her ear, caressing the ridge of her garter with his finger. "Let's go and seal that bond…"

Hermione leaned over to give Charlie a hug and then she and Fred stood together and thanked everyone for making their day so memorable. They promised to make dates to catch up with everyone after their honeymoon, letting their friends know that Hermione would, upon their return, be moving into the flat above 93 Diagon Alley. Their guests formed a line to hug each of them as they left, but no-one tried to make them linger; they all realised that the newlyweds needed time to themselves.

As the couple reached the Weasley and Potter contingent at the end of the line, almost everyone seemed to be putting something into their hands. George had a rucksack for Fred and Ginny handed Hermione her beaded bag. Molly gave a package of cake to Fred (presumably in case of hunger on the journey) and whispered a reminder to Hermione that there was one for her in the bag. Charlie tucked a further bottle of champagne into Hermione's beaded bag. "Just in case," he winked. Last, Ron was holding Fred's broom, and he helped Hermione to mount it – sidesaddle, given her wedding dress – before giving her an enormous hug. Fred jumped on behind her and took off into the sky, bride safely secured in his arms.

"It's a Weasley tradition for the newly married couple to leave their wedding reception and head for their honeymoon by broom," Molly explained to Neville. "Though I imagine Fred will land them on the hill and apparate from there." She leaned in, as if to speak confidentially. "I don't think either of them can stand the sexual tension much longer."

If Neville was surprised to hear this comment coming from the Weasley matriarch's mouth, he did a valiant job of not showing it. Ginny gave him a grin, making drinking motions with her hand so that Neville had to suppress his laughter by turning and making a beeline for the bar, followed by a laughing Ginny.

Drunk or not, Molly had been spot on in her prediction. "We'll just fly to the hill, love," Fred told Hermione as they lifted from the garden. "There's nothing in the Weasley wedding rulebook that says we have to fly all the way. That'll waste valuable snogging time."

Four and a half minutes later, he set them down gently on the grass and divided all of the bags and his broom between his hands, laughing at himself for almost not being able to juggle them all. "I would apparate you there bridal-style," he told Hermione, "but it's you or the luggage, and I want both!"

She laughed, and instead wound her arms tightly around his waist. "I'll hold on, Fred … you lead."

"Well that's a phrase I didn't imagine hearing very often from you, Ms Granger-Weasley!"

The sound of Hermione's laugh disappeared into the crack of their apparition.

Knowing that the cove would look very different from when they had visited before and uncertain where things would be, Fred landed them on top of the cliff. He turned Hermione around so that she could see, and she gasped. The cove that had been empty last night was now a beautiful honeymoon resort. At the centre was a large circular structure. It appeared to be made of wood, but Hermione realised that it was open to the elements and they would be able to see the sea and the stars.

"It's covered in charms instead of fabric, so it will keep us cosy and protect us from any wind or rain, but still let us see out. Isn't it amazing? It's called a yurt." Fred told her.

Hermione opened her mouth but no sound came out. Not only was the yurt amazing, but the whole cove had been transformed. The yurt was at the centre of a series of wooden cabins linked by curved wooden paths, and the area was brimming with brightly coloured decorations and fairy lights. It was truly magical in every sense of the word. She could see the most enormous bed in the centre of the yurt, surrounded by soft rugs. To the left was a log burner and chimney, although she couldn't imagine needing to build a fire at this time of year. There wasn't much other furniture in the yurt itself, but she spotted a few low tables, floor cushions and chests of drawers for their things.

Every direction in which she looked offered something new and tempting. A large open-air hot tub was a short distance away, on a raised platform, and attached to the back of the yurt was a small cabin which she imagined was the bathroom. A canvas-covered structure to her left looked like a field kitchen which even at first glance she could see contained everything they would need to cook and eat out, including a large barbeque grill and a wooden table with benches. "We've got the restaurant, of course," said Fred. "That's just so we have the option of cooking for ourselves if we want it. And I can grill you sausages in the mornings to replenish your strength after I've ravished you all night."

A thrill went through Hermione's body upon hearing his words and she wanted to turn towards Fred, but he kept her facing away from him so that he could point out another bed near to the sea, with a soft fabric covering, which she imagined was to rest on during the day while they gazed out at the ocean. Fred then pointed out the wooden chest beside it, explaining with a grin that it was a magical cooler designed to conjure any cold drinks they might like from the restaurant upon request. The cove had gone from being an empty paradise to being filled with everything they could possibly need for a few days of relaxation at the beach.

"This is amazing," she said, not quite able to believe what she was seeing.

"Absolutely," Fred agreed. But he wasn't looking at the cove anymore. "You ready to go down now, love?"

Hermione nodded and allowed Fred to lift her onto the broom in front of him one last time so that they could fly into their little beach sanctuary. He had already used his wand to levitate their luggage down to the bedroom area while Hermione was looking at their new home, so he was able to put both of his arms around Hermione and hold her close as he flew them in a slow spiral down to the cove.

"Where first, love?" he asked, as they approached the ground. "Do you need anything? Drink? Tour? Bathroom?"

Hermione turned and looked deeply into his eyes. "Just you, Fred. Clichéd as that sounds, I just want you." She turned sideways on the broom and wrapped her arms around his neck as he negotiated the final few feet to the ground. He silently thanked his years of quidditch playing; his senses were so full of his desire for Hermione that he was truly flying on auto-pilot.

Fred landed them on the path that led to the bedroom and ensured that Hermione was steady on her feet before moving his broom from under them and leaning it against the side of the yurt. Taking Hermione's hand, he led her towards the bed...


	21. The wedding night

"This is beautiful," said Hermione, stroking the velvety-soft Egyptian cotton duvet cover that was on their bed. Fred came to stand behind her and leaned down to kiss the place where her neck met her right shoulder.

"Mmmmmm," he agreed, before reaching in front of her and making a show of folding the top of the duvet down towards the bottom of the bed, exposing the sheet below. He began to unbutton Hermione's wedding dress, keeping his lips busy by teasing the back her neck and carefully kissing and licking each inch of her spine as he uncovered it. "Don't worry, love," he reassured her. "I'm going to be very slow and gentle and make sure this is good for you. Just relax, and let me love you…"

As Fred spoke, Hermione exhaled slowly, and she gazed at the sea as she murmured soft words of love back to him. The sun was just beginning to set, the waves rippled onto the shoreline and the scent of a gentle, salty sea breeze drifted across the beach. Hermione sighed as each of her senses were stimulated and briefly turned her head back towards Fred's to kiss his full lips which were already slightly swollen from their kisses. He kissed her deeply, allowing his hands to wander down her front and gently stroking the sides of her breasts with his fingertips before tracing a line between them and down towards her bellybutton. He slipped the fingers of one hand slowly down the top of her dress and, for a moment, Hermione was confused as he wriggled them gently around as if looking for something. Then she remembered, and giggled.

"I've got one … no, two!" Fred exclaimed, gently working the stars out of her bra and showing Hermione the trophies held between the first two fingers of his left hand. Taking his wand from its holster with his other hand, he transfigured the stars into star-shaped lanterns, added a glowing purple light to them and sent them upwards where they floated over the bed. "We'll take them home and keep them, as a reminder…"

"I thought you might have forgotten those!" Hermione whispered.

"Never … and I haven't forgotten this either…" Fred slid his hand to Hermione's thigh and fingered the garter through her dress. "I'm coming to get it, love…" Hermione felt a thrill in her pussy. Tenderly, Fred turned her away from him again, moved his mouth back to the nape of her neck and continued his descent on her buttons. "It just might take me a while … why on earth did Fleur need to add so many of these?" he asked, laughing softly at his own impatience.

Hermione smiled. "You know Bill was part of the dress team as well? Fleur has him hold clothes in flux while she transfigures things; it's really quite something to see. We're not allowed to tell your brothers, though!"

"That's a shame," Fred muttered into her ear before gently licking it, causing Hermione to shiver in anticipation. "George and Charlie would get years of pleasure out of that revelation! There … I could use magic, I know, but I'm rather enjoying unwrapping you, like a sexy little Christmas present."

He reached and undid the final button. Slipping his fingers under the dress on the top of each of Hermione's shoulders, Fred then spread his hands apart and Fleur's dress fell slowly to the sandy floor. Hermione stepped out of it, carefully picked it up and shook off the sand. She waved her wand, whispering the modified banishing incantation that would send it safely back to Shell Cottage and then allowed Fred to lean over and take her wand, placing it beside his on the bedside table. Hermione rather liked seeing them there together.

Slowly, Fred turned her back around to face him and his eyes grew wide when he saw the silky underwear that Fleur had given her that morning. They grew wider again when he saw the garter that Angelina had sent up to the bedroom. Gently fingering the lace on Hermione's thigh, he opened his mouth slightly, licking his lips as he began to move them towards Hermione's left breast.

"Hey, not so fast, mister … you're still fully dressed, so it's my turn now." Hermione grinned at him, helped ease the jacket of his dress robes from his shoulders and started on his belt buckle. Fred kicked and toed off his shoes and socks before allowing Hermione to unbutton and lower his trousers. She stroked his thighs before leaning in for another deep kiss. Reaching for the buttons of his shirt, she soon had him down to just his boxers and stood back to admire him, glad of the warm evening as he stepped out of his clothes and moved them away.

"You're gorgeous, Fred. I can't believe you're mine." Hermione ran her small hands over his chest and he placed his hands on her waist, stroking her slowly as her exploration began. She traced the outlines of his muscles and kissed the scars that the healers hadn't been able to prevent from forming. Fred's eyebrows furrowed in lust and Hermione teased both of his nipples with her thumbs before slowly dragging one of her hands down his tummy to play in the trail of dark red hair that led from his bellybutton into his shorts, which were straining against his erection. Gaining in confidence, she stroked his cock through his shorts with her thumb and fingertips and Fred's breath caught.

Hermione looked up at him, her eyes wide and a little worried as she bit her bottom lip. "I want you, Fred, and the bonding magic wants me to do more, but I'm feeling a bit out of my depth."

Fred lifted Hermione into his arms and gently placed her upon the soft pillows, removing her shoes before crawling towards her on the bed and wrapping his arms around her. "Don't worry, love, it's only me. Everything's going to be great."

"Can I see you?"

"Yes, of course," he said. "Just don't be scared. I'll be so gentle, love. I'll make you feel so good…"

"I know," she nodded, but she still felt a wave of shock when he knelt up and removed his shorts, lifting each of his knees in turn before throwing his underwear onto the wooden floor behind him. It looked so big, though Hermione didn't really have anything to compare it to. Tentatively, she reached out towards him, and Fred groaned when she wrapped her hand around his length.

"Oh gods, that feels good, love. Yes, like that." She stroked gently, learning her way around the silken hardness of Fred's cock as he knelt before her. She collected the bead of moisture oozing out of the tip on the pad of her thumb before spreading it around a bit, eliciting a hiss from Fred. Looking up at him with a shy smile, Hermione sat up, crawled down the bed and gave the head of his cock a very gentle kiss. Hearing his groan and feeling braver with each minute, she added a few small catlicks with her tongue. "Oh fuck," Fred said again, and Hermione was encouraged to take his whole cock in both her hands and address it directly.

"Hello there," she said softly, the feel of her warm breath on the head of his cock making Fred close his eyes and tip his head back. He would be finding this hilarious and endearing in equal measure if only he wasn't so fucking turned on by her touching and licking. The hunger of the bonding magic was becoming more powerful again and, as much as he would love to make the build-up last all night, he knew he wouldn't last that long and that he needed to be inside his witch before he came. That was how the bonding would be completed. But he could restrain himself enough to give Hermione a few moments to meet the appendage that she was going to spend the rest of her life with. She was still chatting to his cock, and Fred realised that, if he didn't pay attention, he could be missing out on some seriously hot talk. "I'm going to learn what you like," she said. "We're going to experiment with lots of things until I find out what makes Fred groan the most."

Fred groaned just at hearing that. "Come back up here, love. As much as I love what you're doing, there are bits of you that I still need to meet."

He encouraged Hermione to sit back up so he could take her into his arms and make quick work of her silky bra, discovering to their mutual delight that he could easily fit a breast into each of his large hands and keep his mouth free for kissing her lips and neck. That didn't last long though, and Fred was soon tasting each of Hermione's rosy nipples, causing her head to fall back and her hips to start moving against him. Without realising it, she had brought her pussy closer to his cock and straddled his lap, rubbing herself against him with only the silk of her flimsy knickers between them now.

Hermione could feel a steady, insistent pulsation of bonding magic in her core; she identified the centre of it as being the area that muggle therapists described as the sacral chakra, and dimly she wondered if anyone had made that connection. But she was losing the capacity for rational thought.

Shifting his weight to his knees and leaning Hermione back onto the plump pillows, Fred kissed his way down her tummy until his lips reached the top of her knickers. "Now," he said, "I get to open my wedding present." Hermione felt another thrill go through her at his words, and at the knowledge that Fred Weasley, the man she had wanted for so many years, was about to take her knickers off and fuck her. Kneeling upright, with his hard cock still very present between them, Fred hooked his fingers over the sides of Hermione's knickers and slowly tugged them down her legs.

"I'm leaving the garter on, lovely," he informed her. "It's really" … kiss … "very" … kiss … "sexy…" He leaned further forward and kissed the curls that he had uncovered. "Fuck, love, you're so pretty, and you smell amazing. I love your scent."

Hermione's hips bucked a little, out of her control, as his kisses grew longer.

"Sorry," she giggled, blushing a little as she realised that she was thrusting up into Fred's face.

"No need to be," he said gruffly, using his hands to move her thighs further apart and stroking both of his thumbs over her mound while ruffling her hair with his fingers. "Come here, you gorgeous witch…" Now Fred used his thumbs to spread her outer lips, watching Hermione's face for as long as he could while taking a long, slow lick of her pussy.

Hermione let out a long, low moan. The bonding magic was really taking hold now. She felt so wet and aroused; no longer capable of logic. "Want you … bond with me," she told Fred.

"Soon, love" he promised, crawling between her legs and hitching one up so he could hold it over his arm. Then, "fuck, you're beautiful". Hermione tingled as she felt his breath on her just seconds before his lips connected with her pussy again.

"Fred," she could barely speak now for wanting him inside her.

"Mmmm hmmmm," Hermione's head tilted back into the pillows as Fred's tongue finally touched her clit and his hum sent vibrations through her. He licked and kissed her, opening her up with his tongue and then rolling it around in circles and waves over her clit, making Hermione groan and buck her hips towards his face. "Oh yes, that's it, love. Want to feel you enjoy it."

"Fred," she was utterly unable to form a full sentence or say anything but his name, and he loved it. Fred moved a hand to cup Hermione's bum cheek, using his fingers to gently squeeze the soft flesh further towards him. His tongue licked and caressed her and he alternated deep strokes with quick kisses, which almost drove her mad with desire. His hand stroked her bum and the tips of his fingers sneaked into all sorts of naughty places, barely resting anywhere before they moved again. Hermione was awash with new, delicious sensations that were falling over each other in their intensity. She was panting as reached her fingers into Fred's red hair, still chanting his name.

Fred lifted his eyes in time to see Hermione's breasts rising and falling faster than before. "Gonna come … in your mouth," she gasped, somewhat amazed at her own wantonness.

"Go on, love," he breathed into her, deepening his kissing and licking even further. He was so hard and could barely stop himself from grinding his cock into the sheet beneath him as he pleasured his wife with his lips and tongue. Fred didn't think he had ever felt this turned on. He couldn't wait to find out how it would feel to plunge his naked cock inside her.

Hermione keened as her orgasm began. She had had plenty of orgasms at her own hand, but none like the one that now built inside her. Like a waterfall, the sensation cascaded over her body until it became so intense that she had to put a temporary stop Fred's kisses with a hand to his shoulder.

"Oh Fred," she gasped, breathless. "Want you inside me, now. The magic … the bond … need to complete it –"

Fred obeyed, moving up her body. He kissed Hermione's mouth and she tasted herself on him as he began to slide the tip of his cock inside her. Hermione's head and shoulders nestled back into the soft pillows and she moaned softly.

"Gods, Freddie. You feel so good. More…"

"Sure you're OK, love?"

She just nodded, and Fred eased his cock into her, inch by inch, watching her face carefully as he did. He was trying to be gentle, but restraint wasn't easy. He felt a degree of relief when he realised that the magical connection between them was becoming so strong that he was starting to be able to feel her emotions inside him. He was reassured to realise that she wasn't in pain. Their combined feelings felt so good and all he wanted was to bury himself deep inside her warm wet pussy and stay there forever.

Hermione's hips began to move with his; hesitantly and erratically at first, but they soon found a shared rhythm. Fred moved himself further up her body, ensuring his cock would rub the most sensitive parts of her with every thrust. He wound one hand into her hair and pressed kisses into her neck.

"So pretty … so sexy … so fucking wet…" he murmured into her ear as he pushed his cock into Hermione, over and over again.

Hermione couldn't think. Couldn't do much of anything except meet Fred's body with her own, grasping his shoulders, trying to get her legs even higher up his waist so she could pull him further inside her. She hadn't even known that it was possible to feel this way.

Fred still couldn't believe his luck. Just forty-eight hours ago, on Friday evening, he had been single and unsure about whether the witch he wanted would ever know his love for her, let alone return his feelings. Now, on Sunday evening, he was making love to the very same witch, and now she was his wife. They were bound forever by their magic, he had a lifetime to spend with her and, right now, he was fucking her so deeply that he wasn't sure if either of them would be able to get out of bed tomorrow.

He leaned in and kissed Hermione's ear, licking the shell again before suckling on her earlobe, earning himself a fresh groan from his witch. Her fingers gripped and then stroked up his long back, now damp with sweat, and Hermione began to breathe more heavily as she felt a new wave of sensation building in her core.

Fred felt it too and grunted into her ear. He increased the depth of his movements as his thumb reached for her clit and gently rubbed circles in time with his thrusting. "I'm so close, 'Mione. Come again, with me … let's complete the bond, love."

With the ancient magic involved, just like when they had sealed their wedding bond with a kiss, it wasn't really a matter of choice. Utterly overwhelmed by the feel of his thumb on her clit, his cock inside her pussy and the magic of his soul touching hers, Hermione lost control. She keened again and then helplessly chanted Fred's name over and over as her orgasm began to pulse through her body. Fred's brow knotted as he felt her squeeze his cock and he too lost control, thrusting into her twice more, hard and deep, before finally pumping his seed into her body as the magic surged through and between and around them and then out into the air and the sky.

"Fuck," he muttered. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." Their magical cores fully connected and a pulsing golden light surrounded them. Hermione Granger and Fred Weasley's eyes locked together as both felt the once-in-a-lifetime sensation which was the soul-bonding combination of connection and orgasm and love and a thousand other sensations that they would remember always but never be able to describe in words, no matter how eloquent they both might be. They could feel each other's heartbeat and emotions, although it would take them a little while to realise that this was a permanent consequence of their bonding rather than an immediate after-effect. In bliss, Fred and Hermione connected; they now belonged to each other, forever. Magical didn't come close to describing it.

Several moments passed while Fred remained on top of Hermione, desperately trying to take his own weight back onto his arms but unable to move. "Relax, Fred," Hermione told him. "I can take your weight for a few minutes." He did, while murmuring his love for her into her ear and kissing the side of her neck. Hermione stroked her fingers through his hair and assured him of her own love until he dropped his forehead down onto her shoulder and they just enjoyed the magic dancing between their connected cores.

"Can we do that a lot?" Hermione whispered into his ear.

"Absolutely, love. Every day. Twice if you like. Three times on Sundays."

After a couple of minutes, Fred found the energy to roll over onto his side, pulling Hermione with him and cradling her against his chest while their breathing further calmed and slowed. They stared softly into each other's eyes, getting used to the feel of each other within their own magic.

"I can still feel your heartbeat!" Fred was very excited at this.

"I know; me too … I mean, I can feel yours."

"I thought it was just while the bond was forming. Do you think that will happen even when we're apart?"

"I don't know. I imagine it might, Fred. That's probably the point of it. I kind of want to see whether our core connection affects my casting ability, but I'm way too tired to reach for my wand."

"Normally I'd be happy to wait on you, 'Mione, but I don't have the energy either."

"No problem. I think the bond magic just wants us to cuddle anyway."

He shifted her closer to his body and kissed her cheek. "Tired, love?"

"Yes. Shall we take a quick nap and do that again when we wake up?"

"Oh fuck yes, love! You are just having the best ideas tonight." He sat up and reached down the bed to bring the duvet up and over them, and then laid back down with Hermione settled comfortably on his chest. Soft waves continued to land rhythmically on the shore. "Happy wedding night, 'Mione."

"Happy wedding night, Fred. I love you." She looked into his eyes.

He kissed her tenderly. "I love you too."

The second time they made love that night it was in darkness and under the stars. This time, as Hermione felt the final surges of her orgasm, she found herself laughing the kind of laughter that only came after such a release. The next time she got tipsy with George while keeping Fred company as he worked late to finish a batch of potions for the shop she would, with George's full encouragement, laugh a deeper, loving kind of laughter as she teased Fred about his monosyllabic, irreverent marriage bond cursing. For now, though, she was simply filled with the joy of experiencing a depth of pleasure that she hadn't known existed.

She leaned over and kissed Fred's cheek. "Thank you," she said.

"You are very welcome, love. That was most definitely my pleasure."

Hermione nodded. "I never knew," she said, blushing slightly.

"Knew what, love?"

"Sex. That it could be like that."

Fred winked. "I guess not everything can be conveyed easily in books, Ms Granger-Weasley…"

"Oh stop it!" She playfully batted him. "The bookworm cliché is so, well, clichéed!"

"Yeah, OK, fair enough. How about I promise I'll try to avoid the bookworm references if you promise to help the world see me as more than a silly prankster?"

"Deal," smiled Hermione, stroking his face with her hand.

"Deal," Fred whispered back, wrapping his arm more firmly around her.

Hermione kissed his neck, curling into Fred's side. She could finally relax. They were together and bonded, and she was safe. That time, they slept through until the sun rose.


	22. The morning after the bond

Fred Granger-Weasley slowly awoke to the sound of waves in his ears, a slight breeze on his skin and the feeling of holding his new wife safely in his arms. Life couldn't get much better than this, he decided. It was early, though, and their location meant it would be a while before the sun fully appeared over the cliffs.

"You awake?" Hermione mumbled, snuggling in closer to him, languidly stroking his chest with her fingers.

In response, he gently cradled her face and tipped it towards him for their first kiss of the day.

"Hello, love." His arm slipped around her waist and his other hand moved to cup her breast. Hermione moaned gently as his thumb rubbed across her nipple.

"Are you ready to play again yet?" Fred asked. "Not too sore?"

"I feel good, Fred." Hermione moved her hand downwards. "I'm not sore. There's a definite kind of 'Fred was here' feeling between my legs, but it doesn't hurt." She cupped his balls and began to stroke him with her fingers.

"Oh fuck, love, that's sexy." Fred's head tipped back.

"What I said or what my fingers are doing?"

"Both," he groaned.

Hermione leaned over and licked Fred's right nipple.

"Oooooh, isn't that my job?" he asked.

"I'm just following a bit of Charlie's advice," she replied.

"Really? And what was that?"

"That I should find out what I like and tell you."

"Oh yeah?" He leaned in again, looking deeply into her eyes and making Hermione's heart rate increase further.

"Yes, and so far I can tell you that I like it when you lick and kiss my pussy … in fact I like that A LOT, Fred." He smiled to himself. "I like licking your nipples and holding your cock and stroking you in my hand and your reaction to that makes me feel turned on."

"So I should just like back and let you experiment, or shall we find out if you like it when I roll you over and take control?"

Hermione groaned that time. "Both, over the course of the next few days, but for now I'd like you to lie back while I explore. And I love it when you talk to me during sex; that's a big turn-on."

Fred grinned and lifted his arms up, putting them behind his head. "That's good, because I'm a bit of a chatterer. Go ahead then, love, I'm all yours."

Hermione began by stroking and touching Fred from her position by his side, but soon she decided it might be more fun to climb on top of him. Settling her pelvis over his, she leaned forward to kiss him deeply for several minutes while she wove her fingers into his hair. It wasn't long before he was hard again, and she felt the head of his cock touching her pussy. Hermione began to move her hips, stroking herself against him. She loved the sensation but was worried she might move him the wrong way and hurt him.

"Am I doing it OK?" she asked.

"You're doing brilliantly, love. Are you liking this?"

"Very much … do you like it when I move like this?"

"Fuck yes," he couldn't keep his arms out of the way anymore and they moved to caress Hermione's hips. "Oh fuck, love, you've still got the garter on." He stroked it with his fingers while she rocked in his lap. "Hermione … can I ask a question?"

"Of course, Fred."

"Are you happy dry humping me, or would you like to go further?"

"Well … I think I would like you inside me now, but I don't want to hurt you, and I don't know the best way to make it happen, so I'm just thinking that through."

Fred smiled, but not unkindly. "Can I help?"

Hermione nodded, and Fred reached his hand between them and took the base of his cock into his hand. "Here you go, love. I'll hold him still and then you can figure out the rest. You won't hurt me, 'Mione."

It took her a few minutes to figure out the angle, but Hermione soon sunk down onto Fred's cock and they both let out a soft moan as he slid up inside her. She leaned forward, allowing her hands and arms to take some of her weight, and began to rock on him.

"Oh, gods!" It was quite clear to Fred from the look on Hermione's face that this position was going on her list of things she liked. Initially, he resisted the urge to grab her hips and fuck up hard into her as she wriggled experimentally into a series of slightly different positions, but once she found the position that made the head of his cock rub against the front wall of her pussy, it was clear that neither of them were going to last long. Just as they had the previous night, they were each able to feel the emotions of the other through their bond, and the addition of this to the physical sensations of their bodies rubbing together meant that they came to a climax sooner than they might otherwise have done.

As Hermione's eyes widened with the beginning of her orgasm, Fred lost the ability to control his own movement, and began to buck up into her as he cradled her hips with his hands. Hermione keened into the breeze as she came and then sunk down onto Fred's chest, panting and full of wonder at the sensations she was experiencing.

They chatted softly in the afterglow and as the daylight crept in more fully.

"Well we're now way past the sunrise that we needed to complete our bond by, love. I think we can say we achieved that…"

Hermione smiled and patted his chest. "I would say so, yes. I wonder if there will be any record of our bond in the Ministry." She lifted her head to look at him.

Fred held her closer, stroking her hair until she settled down again. "Let's not worry about that now. I feel like you should be doing less thinking and more relaxing."

"OK," Hermione replied. "I won't always think about sex so much, Fred," she promised. "Just while I'm learning."

"Love, if I wasn't OK with a thinking witch, I wouldn't have married you. You go ahead and think all you want. As long as I'm allowed to try and stop you thinking now and again!"

"That sounds very tempting!" Hermione told him, reaching to stroke his cheek, which was slightly bristly. "I think I like your morning stubble, by the way. I wondered if it might be itchy making…"

He chuckled, and then spoke in a low voice. "We should find out how you like the feel of it on your inner thighs when I'm licking your pussy."

"Mmmmm." Her stomach filled with anticipation, which Fred felt through the bond. "I need a break for a bit though, I think. And I need to use the loo and brush my teeth."

"Well then, I shall release the fair maiden to answer the call of nature."

Hermione swung her legs out of the bed and reached for her washbag, some clean knickers and a long tee-shirt, silently sending a wave of gratitude to Ginny for her thoughtful packing. She pulled the tee shirt on and padded across the wooden flooring to the cabin that housed the loo and shower. They hadn't had much chance or desire to explore their honeymoon home the previous night and Hermione now saw that, as well as the hot tub, there was also a large outdoor bath which she was pretty sure she would be inviting Fred to join her in later on.

Having used the loo, Hermione decided to have a quick shower while she was there and stuck her head out the door to call and let Fred know. He waved in response and called back to ask her if she wanted him to make her tea or coffee.

"Coffee, please!" she replied. "As long as there's cream and sugar!"

Padding back across the sandy floor to their bed after her shower, Hermione crawled back under the covers and slid towards Fred, curling into his arms and resting her head on his shoulder. She relaxed into the sensation of feeling Fred's magic bonded to hers. It was a curious feeling, but a good one too. She could sense Fred there inside her magic and she felt sure that they would be able to use the bond to communicate in some way, once they had got used to its nature and power. Hermione already knew that she could pull on Fred's magic if she needed to, but there was something else there as well, and it was bothering her slightly that she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. She sat up to reach for her coffee, thanking Fred for making it as she did.

"It's my pleasure," he told her, happy to be learning more about what his witch liked and how he could make her happy. "Though I thought you were a tea drinker?"

"I am," Hermione replied. "Except on Sunday mornings, when I love to have coffee but only if there's plenty of cream and sugar. Ideally, I like to go out to a coffee shop and have one. It's my lazy Sunday morning treat as part of my attempt to find a new normal now we've defeated Voldemort. Didn't get a chance yesterday, so I thought I would have one today instead."

Fred nodded in understanding. Everyone was trying for a new normal.

"In fact," she continued. "There's a new place in Diagon Alley that I'd like to try; Neville says they have flavoured syrups too, like in muggle London! Now that I'm going to move to the flat, maybe we could go there and try it out?"

"That sounds great. You should take your new best mate Charlie when he's back; he's a big coffee lover!"

"We should take him then…"

"Yeah, though be prepared for him to mock that, love…" He lifted his chin towards her mug.

Hermione turned to Fred, a bit confused. "Why's that, then?"

"He's a bit of a coffee purist … only has it black and strong and can't understand why anyone would add anything to it!"

"Ha," said Hermione. "I shall look forward to that debate then! It's good that you've given me time to prepare my argument…" Hermione winked, Fred groaned and Hermione patted his hand. She wasn't ready to have him inside her again just yet, but she kept forgetting how much she could turn him on with a wink. She needed to process the sensation that was bothering her, and she plumped and thumped her pillows into a more comfortable arrangement before settling back onto them for a bit of a think with her coffee.

"What's up, love?" Hermione's thinking face must have been obvious to Fred, she realised.

"Just thinking."

"Want to talk about it?"

"Maybe." She lifted the mug to her lips and took another sip of the sweet, creamy drink before she replied again. "It's our bond. I can feel you, but when I was in the shower I realised that I can feel something else there too. Almost … but no … I don't know, Fred. I'm still trying to make sense of it."

"What is it, love?"

"Well it's going to sound stupid, but it sort of feels like another soul … almost, but we surely can't be pregnant hours after we had sex for the first time? And anyway, I'm sure I'm not ovulating and it takes a while for the egg and –"

Fred interrupted the beginning of Hermione's biology lecture with a kiss. "Well, I'd like to get you pregnant at some point, love, but I hadn't planned on it this soon… Even mum thinks we might need a while, and that's saying something!"

"I know, Fred, me too! She gave me a potion, which was very kind of her." Hermione put her mug back down beside her. "I should take it actually, now it's morning and our bond is complete. Can you please pass my wand?"

He did so and Hermione reached for her bag, summoning the package that Molly had sent. "Oooooh!" she exclaimed as she was unwrapping it. Molly had said she had disguised the package as cake but omitted to mention that it was nestled in a tin filled with her home-baked muffins, and Hermione gleefully opened them up, savouring the smell before placing the tin in between herself and Fred on the bed so that they could share some of his mum's baking with their coffee.

Settling back on her pillows again after swallowing a dropperful of the potion and chasing it with mouthfuls of coffee and cake to get rid of the unpleasant taste, Hermione put her hand on her abdomen. "Maybe it's a future baby or something, Fred. I'm clearly not pregnant. I don't know anything about this kind of magic, and there wasn't time to read up on it before we bonded. I was planning to go and have tea with Minerva when we get back, so I'll see if I can use the Hogwarts library to do a bit of research."

"Mione, I'm not taking back what I said about you thinking, but this is our honeymoon, love! Generally, people relax together rather than planning their future studying…" Fred slipped his hand over her tummy, stroking her in an attempt to keep her relaxed.

Hermione blushed slightly, but there was no point pretending to be anyone she wasn't. "I know, Fred, but I don't like not knowing things."

He pulled her closer to him, relocating the cake tin to the bedside table. "Close your eyes, then. Let me see if I can help."

Hermione obeyed, thinking that he was going to massage her or find some other way of relaxing her body. But instead she felt a soft sensation inside her magic, as if he was gently brushing the magical energy that now connected them.

"Oooooh," she breathed at the new sensation. She had never felt anything like this before and was a bit surprised that Fred already seemed to know how to play with her magic when their bond was so recently formed. But maybe this was part of a seventh-year class that she had missed when she, Harry and Ron had embarked on their hunt for Horcruxes.

"Relax, love," he said. "I'm not doing legilimency or anything. Just feeling you through the bond and trying to help you work out what it is you're sensing."

Hermione rested against Fred's chest and let him explore their bond together. She was also beginning to get aroused again and was about ready to turn and interrupt his investigations with a kiss when she heard a soft, "a-ha" from her husband.

"Is this what you're feeling?" he asked, nudging his magic gently against the sensation that Hermione had noticed while she was showering.

"Yes," she whispered back. "What do you think it is?"

"Hmmmm, let me try something," he replied. "Can you feel it now?"

Hermione stiffened. The sensation had gone, but nothing else had changed. She was confused, because the sensation had been rather friendly and comforting, and already she missed it, even though she could still feel Fred. Hermione wasn't at all sure she liked this not knowing stuff. "No, it's gone now."

A moment or two later, Fred said, "And how about now?" The sensation was back again.

"Yes, I feel it again." Hermione turned in Fred's arms to see a beaming smile on his face. He cuddled her to him, stroking her cheek with one hand. "Do you know what it is?" she asked him. "How come you know about this and I don't? How can you change the way I feel it? Is it our baby? Should I be worried?"

"No, love," he replied, shaking his head and laughing at her barrage of questions. "If you can feel that, you never need to be worried."

"Why?" She searched his eyes for the answer that he seemed to be stretching out for as long as he could.

"Because that's my Georgie." Fred's smile was wider than ever and his eyes were alight with love.

Several moments passed before Hermione spoke again. "George?" she whispered. "I can feel George?"

Fred shrugged. "I guess so, love. Through our twin bond. It must have begun when our own magic bonded last night. I didn't know it would; hadn't really thought about it, what with everything happening so quickly." He looked a bit concerned; was this going to bother her?

"But I only felt him when I was in the shower. Why didn't I feel him last night, after we made love and finished our bond? Or this morning?"

Fred thought for a moment. "Well I guess if I have him shut out, then you wouldn't be able to feel him either. That's what I did a minute ago; I shut him out for a few moments, to help you identify if he was what you were feeling."

"So you shut him out last night and this morning?"

"Course I did, love. Can't have a twin link open with my brother when I'm making love with my wife, can I? We always turn it off if we're getting lucky." He wrinkled his nose. "Too weird otherwise." He winked at her as he leant over for more kisses, and Hermione pecked his lips a couple of times. "I should really tune him out again now if you're going to get frisky again…"

But Hermione still had questions. "So you can both turn it off if you need some privacy, but otherwise he's there all the time? And you're there for him?"

"Yep." Accepting that Hermione was going to need a longer conversation about this before he could collect more kisses, Fred settled himself against the head of the bed, pulled her into his lap and used his long arm to get the muffins back in reach so they could both continue to munch while they chatted.

"Tell me how it works, please."

Hermione asked many questions and learned a lot. She discovered that George and Fred could feel each other's emotions and were often affected by what the other felt. That was no great surprise to her but this, Fred explained, was one reason that the two of them had always consciously focused on expressing their optimistic, fun-loving side. It was much nicer to build each other up than pull the other down, although he acknowledged that they could easily spin excitement out of control and never minded other members of the Weasley family reining them in. "You can just tell us as well, love," he said. "We can't always tell when we're too much. We sort of feed off each other's energy. Georgie's better at realising than I am, though. He always has been. I'm more likely to get carried away and go too far…"

Questioning him more about the nature of their link, Hermione discovered that George and Fred didn't generally feel each other's heartbeat, as she and Fred now could after their marriage bond, but they each had a sense of the other's wellbeing. Neither could they use the bond to talk directly, but they could link their imaginations – or that was as close as Fred could describe it verbally – and share real or made-up images and sensations between each other, which Hermione immediately suspected might be part of the reason that they were such successful inventors. She wondered if they realised that.

"We can't share words exactly," he explained, "or send messages as sentences. But we can kind of let each other know what we're thinking and wanting. Look, it's probably easier if I show you. Close your eyes again; it might help if you dampen your other senses a bit til you get used to it."

Hermione obediently closed her eyes and took the opportunity to cuddle further into Fred. After a couple of minutes, he whispered, "stop thinking, love … just let yourself feel it" and she breathed more deeply. A moment later, her eyes flickered open. "Breakfast!" she said, immensely pleased with herself. "You're sending me the idea of a cooked breakfast!"

"Yeah, I couldn't control that one. These muffins are great, but I'm only considering that my first breakfast, just so you know! I'll be needing brunch at some point."

"That sounds fair to me! Shall we get up and explore a bit? We can make another drink and see what's in the kitchen for when you're ready to eat again?" Hermione slid off Fred's lap and headed to the food hamper as he raised his wand towards his own bag and summoned some clean clothes.

Peering into the food hamper to see meat, eggs, cheese and an array of salad vegetables, Hermione began to think about the differences between being bonded and not. The bond was totally new to her, but Fred's greater expertise on the matter was clearly rooted in the fact that he and George had been born with a shared bond. Neither, she reasoned, would know what it was like to live without feeling each other in their minds and their magic.

Her thought was interrupted by Fred's hand on her back. "Sausages!" he announced, reaching further into the hamper from behind her. "And beans! I love Angie, she's thought of everything."

But Hermione didn't respond. An awful sensation had swamped her, as she suddenly realised with horror what must it have been like for George when Fred was in the coma after the Battle of Hogwarts. As that thought came to her, Hermione stopped in her tracks, wanting nothing more than to hug George and tell him she understood. She held onto the edge of the hamper, frozen by the thought and feeling a wave of anxiety wash over her body.

Fred felt the wave hit him a moment later, and he was dimly aware of concern emanating from George as well. Hermione hadn't responded, and Fred turned to look at her. She was wide eyed, and he could feel her pulse increase through the bond.

"What is it love? Are you OK? You look pale, and you feel worried."

Hermione swallowed and then launched herself into Fred's arms. "Oh Fred, I'm OK but I … well, I just feel overwhelmed at what George must have felt after the wall fell and at being able to feel him too." She looked slightly panicked, her eyes wide. "I really want to see him."

"It's OK, love," Fred reassured her. "I hadn't realised this might happen. Let's help you get calmed down before Georgie apparates over to Phil's with worry and then, if you like, I'll send a patronus and tell him to come for brunch."

"That would be great," Hermione said. "I know it's supposed to be just the two of us for a few days, but I didn't anticipate this and I don't know what to do with it. Perhaps seeing him will help me calm down and make a bit of sense of it all…"

"Hey love, it's OK," Fred stroked her hair and tightened his arms around her waist. "You're a Weasley now, and you've bonded with a twin. Alone time isn't something George and I crave, love … especially from each other!"


	23. Brunch

Fred had rarely been apart from his twin for any length of time and, as much as he loved Hermione, was delighted to have an excuse to invite George over to join them at the cove for an hour or so. Wanting to reassure his brother, who he knew had felt Hermione's anxiety through their bond, he sent a patronus asking George to come over for brunch and letting him know that he would send a further message when they were ready and had taken the anti-apparition wards down.

Fred then closed down his bond with George and set to calming Hermione, insisting that he perform a further round of husbandly duties to help her relax. Hermione didn't mind that at all; she had also been permanently aroused since the binding cord had tightened around their hands the previous day. She happily let Fred treat her to half an hour of massage to help reduce her anxiety and then a demonstration of how his stubble felt against her inner thighs before welcoming him back inside her and moaning loudly as she reached another climax just a few minutes before he spilled into her with a groan.

"I'm never going to get tired of making love with you," she declared, running her nails over his back and neck as they lay side-by-side in the mid-morning sunlight with him still inside her. "It's my new favourite thing."

Fred smiled in reply, his fingers dancing lazily over her skin. "Mine too. I'm really hungry now after that, though. Gonna jump in and out of the sea in place of a shower and then get some of those sausages on."

They moved apart slowly, sharing more kisses, and then Hermione followed Fred in a run to the shore and a quick splash in the waves. As they walked back up towards their tent, laughing gently as they practised casting wandless drying charms on each other, Fred caught her hand. "As soon as I'm dressed, I'll message your husband-in-law, love. It's usually OK to have just one person at the shop on a Monday morning, so Verity will be fine til about lunchtime, but after that people tend to start heading to Diagon Alley. And if this law has been announced, well I'm not sure what that will do to the movement of the crowds…"

"That would be great," Hermione told him, pulling on a pair of cotton shorts. "Don't forget to ask him to bring Angelina if she's free. We can find out what has happened with the marriage law."

Fred nodded to show that he had heard as he raised his wand arm to cast a patronus and sent George a silvery message.

Hermione moved towards the field kitchen that Phil's staff had set up on the beach, which she loved. She had already informed Fred that they would need to spend at least a couple of long weekends at the magical campsite each year, and he had happily agreed. "I'm sure Phil will be up for that," he said, "especially if you decide to make babies with me. He'll probably offer to take care of them up there," he lifted his chin to indicate the cliff on which the restaurant stood, out of view, "so we can make him some more down here."

Hermione had just laughed. It wasn't even twenty-four hours since they had first discussed the topic of having a family together and she had decided to wait a while before telling Fred that the bonding magic seemed to have increased her desire to bear his child. She was still dealing with her newfound ability to feel both Fred and George as well as the anxiety that she had felt when she thought about what had happened in the battle. She wanted to think about it all some more before they had a conversation about it. Just because she had a desire didn't mean that starting a family right away would be the right thing for them to do. In fact, she thought it would be much wiser to wait a while and was half inclined to have a chat with Molly about that upon return to reality. Until and unless she could locate her own mum and recover her memories, Molly was all she had as a mother figure.

Sending Fred to make the bed and tidy up their clothes from the previous night, Hermione was still pondering the bonding magic while humming to herself as she broke eggs into a bowl and turned the bacon and sausages over on the gas barbeque.

When George and Angelina apparated onto the beach, they were both holding a hand over their eyes.

"Are you lovebirds decent?" George asked, as they both laughed.

"We are fully clothed," Hermione told them. She handed Fred the barbeque tongs and ran to hug Angelina first, thanking her for her work on their honeymoon cove and the breakfast food. As soon as she had done that, she turned and threw herself into George's arms, holding him close and burying her head in his neck.

"I'm so sorry, George," she told him, her voice breaking and slightly muffled. "If I had known at the time, I would have taken your hand when that bloody wall fell and held you and not let go til he woke again. I wouldn't have let you go through that alone … I didn't know. I feel so bad."

"Hey," George stroked her hair. "What's brought this on, 'Mione?"

"The bond," Hermione's eyes were wide and full of emotion. "It made me realise how you must have felt when Fred was in the coma. When Fred closes your twin bond deliberately, it's OK, because I somehow know you're still there somewhere … and I guess you could probably break through if you needed him, but knowing how it feels to be able to feel you both … thinking about how I didn't feel that before and how I would feel if one of you was hurt … I can't bear the thought of what you must have been going through when you had felt him that way all your life and I didn't even realise you could feel each other like this." She took a deep breath, ready to add more.

"Hey, slow down, it's OK love…" George stroked Hermione's hair, having only understood about eighty per cent of what she was saying. He got the gist of it though and was touched that she felt his pain and wanted to make it better. "I'm OK, 'Mione. He's here now, he's OK; it's over, we're all OK."

Hermione looked up at him, with tears in her eyes. "I know; it's just so much to get my head around sometimes."

"I get it, love." George caught his girlfriend's eyes over the top of Hermione's head. Angelina was hugging Fred and quietly teasing her old friend about his wedding night with the witch of his dreams.

George continued to stroke Hermione's hair. "It was a bit unexpected for me too, but we'll be OK. You might even grow to like being able to join in the twin chat!" He pulled away and winked at her.

Wandering over to rejoin George and Hermione, Angelina reached out and gently took Hermione from George's arms, wrapping her own around the younger witch.

"Come and sit with me, sweetheart," she said to Hermione. "Why don't you go and help Freddie cook?" she suggested to George, "while I chat to Hermione here. She'll never tell me the good gossip with you two around!"

Angelina led Hermione to the wooden benches and table where they both sat on the bench that allowed them to see Fred and George working at the grill.

"I'm sorry," Hermione sniffed.

"Well you really don't need to be," Angelina told her, passing over a tissue from her handbag.

"I'm such a strong person though," Hermione said. "But over the last few weeks, I seem to cry at every opportunity, and I don't know why!"

Angelina laughed, but not unkindly. "Isn't everything you've been through over the past few years reason enough?"

"I suppose," Hermione shrugged, as Fred walked over to the table with fresh cups of coffee for the two witches, who smiled their thanks.

"Seems to me it's a good way of releasing stress, love" he said, taking the opportunity to stroke Hermione's back and kiss her on the cheek. "Though I've got plenty more ways of relaxing you up my sleeve!"

Hermione smiled and gently rubbed his leg before he walked away again. "I'm OK, thank you," she said to Angelina. "It never lasts long. But ever since the battle of Hogwarts I find I keep getting hit with these bursts of emotion and I need to have a good cry. I do find I feel better soon after though."

"Well clearly that's just normal for you for the moment, so I don't think you should feel bad about it. I'll keep an eye on Georgie if you're worried about him feeling it through the bond?"

"I am a bit," Hermione admitted. "And I was so distressed when I realised how he must have felt when Fred was in the coma."

Angelina looked thoughtful and leaned in a bit closer so that only Hermione could hear. "Between you and me, I don't think he's coping quite as well as he'd like us to think. I'm not overly worried, but I think we could all do with accepting that it's going to take us some time to come to terms with everything that happened."

Hermione sipped her coffee, happy that Fred had already learned to make it just as she liked it. "I think you're right. Thank you for talking to me about it."

"Anytime. This must all feel really overwhelming," Angelina said. "Not just the speed of the wedding and everything, but Kingsley's insistence on the full bonding and now this thing with Georgie?"

Hermione nodded again. "We know why Kings insisted on the full bonding; it means even the Wizengamot can't reverse our marriage now. We don't know what the marriage law is going to say, but it doesn't matter to Fred and I now. Are you OK with it? Have you heard about it?"

Angelina shook her head. "No. It's weird; there hasn't been a whisper, so we don't know any more than we did before. I'm more concerned about you, really. I can't imagine having one of these nutters in my head, let alone both. When George told me he could sense you this morning, I thought, you poor woman," she laughed, and reached to pat Hermione's hand in reassurance.

"You're OK with it?" Hermione asked, a bit tentatively. "I really wanted to see you too, to find out how you feel."

"Of course I'm OK with it, silly! How could I not be? You're free from a potentially shitty life with a death eater, because it's clear from what George said that that was a danger if you had waited for the law, and you've made Freddie happier than I've seen him since they perfected canary creams!" She took a sip of her own coffee. "And it's not like any of you could help it."

"No," Hermione shook her head and then grinned, leaning to whisper to Angelina. "When I sensed another soul there this morning, I thought I might have got pregnant already until Fred worked out it was George I was feeling."

"Oh that's brilliant!" Angelina bit her lip to prevent herself from laughing too loud, and then she leaned in again. "Hey, before they come over … I know George offered to marry you as well. He told me yesterday and I think it's important you know I'm OK with it."

Hermione looked at Angelina, slightly unsure about whether Angelina was being truthful.

The older witch smiled. "I mean it, Hermione! It's fine! You were in danger and I wouldn't want him to do anything less than offer himself along with the others. But he knew it would never have come to that because of how Fred felt. I just don't want it to ever be a thing between you and I." She looked at their men, who had their heads together over a frying pan. "Or us and them. We're going to be seeing a lot of each other, you know."

"I imagine we will, though I must admit I hadn't thought about that." Hermione looked at her husband's brother and then back at Angelina. "I would have never agreed to marry George or Ron, you know. It wouldn't be fair, when they love other women."

"Ron?" Angelina's eyebrows raised.

"He has quite a soft spot for Luna," Hermione confided.

"Oh, interesting," Angelina hadn't known that. "Well, you and I need more time together so how about lunch when you're back? I want to know how George and I can best help you two over the next few weeks, what with the suddenness of this, and we should maybe talk about starting a weekly date night for the four of us, if you're open to that?" She looked over at their men again. "They need lots of time together … that's why Freddie comes here with us a lot. I've been having a sort of weekly double date night with them up at my dad's place on Wednesdays, so they can get their twin time outside of work, but it'll be even better now you're in the picture."

"Oh that would be great, Ange … let's just keep that going, if you like?"

Angelina beamed and nodded in agreement. "I'll run you through my quidditch schedule too. It'll help you predict when George is going to turn up at yours for dinner and a sleepover! Though maybe the bond will tell you that?"

Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "I have no idea; it's all very new. There's lots I don't know."

"It'll be OK. He's a good man, Hermione. They both are."

"I know. I'm not worried. But thank you. I feel much better now we've talked."

"One piece of advice before they come back?"

"What's that?" Hermione asked.

Angelina looked back at Fred and George and Hermione followed her gaze. "This first few weeks is your chance to set the standard for who does what in your new family. Look at them; those two are more than capable of running the house and cooking without input, so don't fall into the trap of doing too much or taking over things they can already do … I know from friends who made that mistake that it can be hard to pull that back later."

Hermione nodded. "That makes a lot of sense. Thank you. Can I ask you a question though?"

"Of course."

Hermione checked to see that Fred and George couldn't hear them. "Have you thought about, you know, if you and George were affected by the marriage law, or if you got married anyway. Would you want to fully bond, do you think?"

Angelina looked thoughtful. "I don't know. I don't think so. A full bonding could interfere with my playing quidditch. I don't want to give that up, but waiting until the end of my playing career until we get married isn't appealing either … Molly won't let us share a bed at The Burrow and my dad's not keen either, so we have to sneak about a bit. No, I think a non-bonded wizarding marriage would be better, and that's what most people do these days. You and Fred are in a small minority nowadays."

"Oh," said Hermione. "Why would it be a problem for quidditch?"

"Bonded players aren't allowed to play professional quidditch. A bond can give an advantage, like with Fred and George, although twin bonds are allowed at school level because they're not made by choice and the ramifications are different because they were both on the same team. But it can also make players vulnerable … like if anything happened to George when I was playing, I would know immediately and that could put me off the game. Not good for the team."

"I see."

"Even a small accident at the shop could distract me. And there are plenty of those, by the way, so you can expect to get to know St Mungos pretty well! And this new revelation," she indicated between Hermione and George, "well I guess that means if I bonded with George then I would have a link with Freddie too … I don't know if I need to be driven that crazy, but you can keep me posted on how it goes for you!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I've liked Fred for a very long time, but if you had told my twelve year-old self that I would end up magically linked with both of them, she would have been horrified!"

Angelina laughed and patted Hermione one more time as they watched Fred and George make their way to the wooden table and chairs that served as a dining area. "Oh…" Hermione pulled a sad face as the boys put the plates down in front of them and sat down on the opposite bench. "This looks lovely, but one important thing you need to know about me and breakfast food which I forgot to tell you, Fred, is that I hate baked beans more than anything else in the universe, except maybe Umbridge. Would anyone like more?"

She felt their mutual excitement through the bond a nanosecond before Fred and George's hands both shot into the air. Angelina laughingly shook her head, so Hermione took up her wand, sending exactly half of her beans onto each of their plates and cleaning the bean juice (which she considered the worst aspect of the baked bean phenomenon) from her own.

"Thank you, Hermione" they chorused.

"No, thank you," she replied. "This is such a treat." Angelina mumbled her agreement through a mouthful of scrambled eggs.

"So," asked George, grinning widely, "apparently you thought I was a baby when you first felt me?"

"And she wouldn't have been far wrong, sweetheart," Angelina reached across the table to touch his fingers.

"Have you played with the bond much yet?" George looked at Fred this time.

Fred waggled his eyebrows.

"Oh, I didn't mean like that; you and your one-track mind. I'm quite aware of the sudden increase in twin bond shut down time over the past few hours. I meant have you seen what you can do with it other than sex?"

"No, not really." This time Hermione spoke. "I actually was a bit freaked out this morning when Fred was no longer actively shutting down the twin bond and I realised I could feel you too, and I kind of needed to see you and get my head around it, which is why we invited you over."

"And are you feeling better for that, love?" Fred asked.

"Much. Thank you." Hermione carefully cut up a piece of bacon and then turned back to George. "I just kept thinking about how awful it must have been for you when Fred was in the coma."

George reached across and touched her arm. "Like I said, we need to focus on the fact that he woke up and he's here now. Let's not dwell on what's in the past. If the war taught us anything it's that we should seize each day and live for now."

"You're right," Hermione agreed. "And you won't have to tell me a third time; I'll move on then. I love your dad, by the way," she said, changing the subject and turning back to Angelina.

Angelina's face broke into a smile. "He couldn't stop talking about you yesterday either. He apparently has a plan to adopt the two of you rather than risk seeing Fred less!"

"He said something about that," Fred laughed. "It's all good … 'Mione here is already in love with the cove and the restaurant, so we'll be over plenty."

"Yes," agreed Angie. "I've chatted Hermione into keeping up Wednesday night date night as a foursome. You're welcome, boys!"

"Oh that's great, 'Mione," Fred blew her a kiss.

"It's really the least I can do. I don't want to disrupt your life! And besides, I love the restaurant … it'll be fun!"

They ate in silence for a few moments, though it was clear that Fred and George were having a non-verbal conversation. "What now?" said Angelina, without even looking up from her food. Having been in the same Hogwarts house and classes with them for six and a half years, she could easily tell when they were plotting.

"Ask Hermione," said George, nodding towards the slightly distracted witch.

Hermione looked up. "Oh sorry, I was just thinking about new ideas for fireworks, for some reason. Maybe because of the ones George created for the wedding display."

George and Fred high-fived each other. "Yes!" they said together.

"Did you send me that thought?" she asked, looking from one to the other.

"Georgie did," said Fred proudly. "He thought of fireworks and I thought of nothing. We wanted to see if it would reach you."

"Hmmm," Hermione was interested. "I haven't picked up your normal thoughts, though … not that I've really tried."

"Yeah, that's to be expected. Like I said earlier, it's not legilimency. In our experience, there has to either be focused intent or a really strong emotion, like pain. It's not meant to take over your life."

Angelina reached for a piece of toast. "Yeah, it's that last one you'll need to watch out for."

The other three looked at her with some uncertainty.

"Well," she continued. "I don't know what Hermione's thinking of doing for a job, but you'll have to take the bond into account now. You'll each feel if one of the others is in danger or pain, so I'm guessing you'll need to make sure you don't do anything that will put any of you in too much danger. It's like the quidditch thing that we were talking about … say if Freddie had a potions spill and was in pain and Hermione was flying around testing brooms for a living –"

"Ha! Nice one, Ange!" George smirked.

Angelina grinned. She had already heard all about how George had helped Hermione overcome her fear of flying. "Well, you don't need to get paranoid, I'm just saying that you might need to think about the bond when you decide what you want to do. They might not let you be an Unspeakable if these two might be able to tap in what you're up to…"

Hermione shuddered. "You're right; though that's not a career path I was considering. Maybe I should try and get a job that's flexible or close to the shop, just in case. But we've already decided there's no hurry; we have time to think about it."

"You do," smiled George. "And talking of time, as lovely as this has been, I probably need to get back to the shop. It probably won't be too bad, but it's not fair on Verity..."

"Thank you for coming," said Hermione.

George barked out a laugh and opened his mouth to make a dirty comment but then closed it with a look from Angelina. He raised his palms in the air in surrender. "OK, she can have that one, but just the one!"

Angelina stood up and gave Hermione a kiss on the cheek. "Right, I'll take your baby away now and let you get on with your honeymoon in peace. I'll fill my dad in on anything that comes out about the law and then, if you want to know, you can pop up and ask him. But don't stress; have a lovely time and shut out George as often as you need to!"

The two couples walked hand in hand towards the apparition point, which was a short distance from the yurt. Fred slipped his arm around Hermione's shoulder and they looked the picture of married bliss as they stopped to watch George and Angelina walk the last few yards. "Don't worry about the job stuff," he said quietly. "We'll figure it out, love." He leaned towards Hermione, capturing her chin in his fingers and bringing her face close to his for a kiss.

"Eeeeew, Fred, no!" Hermione shrieked, as his lips touched hers.

Fred pulled back, astonished. "Are you OK, love?"

"No!" She wiped her mouth. "Bean juice!" she shrieked. "You taste of baked bean juice! Not acceptable! No more kisses for you until you've brushed your teeth and sucked on a mint!"

George's loud laugh could be heard echoing around the cliffs for several seconds after he and Angelina apparated away.


	24. Beginning the honeymoon

After they had waved goodbye to George and Angelina, Fred sent Hermione to relax in the morning sun on the day bed while he cleaned his teeth and sorted out their breakfast things. "You deserve a rest," he told her as he dropped a kiss onto her curls.

"I don't know," she replied, unable to stop a large smile from breaking out across her face. "I'd say you've expended just as much energy as I have, maybe more."

"Maybe, but I like taking care of you, love," he told her.

She raised her hand to her heart in acknowledgement of his gift. "Then I will obey. Actually, I really want to sort my bag out. I have no idea what was in there even before Ginny packed for me, and I wasn't keeping track of the things that people gave us last night, so I'd like to see what's what…"

Picking up her beaded bag from beside their bed, Hermione headed to the comfy day bed that sat just a few yards from where the waves were lapping onto the sand. Swathes of floaty lilac and blue fabric rippled around the sides and roof of the four-poster bed to protect the occupants from the heat of the sun and Hermione enjoyed playing with the magical cooler to see if it really could produce any drink that she desired.

Settling on an orange juice which had come with a slice of fresh fruit and a pink umbrella which clashed so horribly with the drink that it wouldn't have been out of place in Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes, Hermione wriggled backwards until she was resting against the pillows. She sat upright with her legs out in front of her and emptied the contents of her bag onto the bed.

"Bloody hell," came a call from behind her, when Fred saw the large pile of stuff that had fallen out of the bag. "How long did Ginny think we were staying for?!"

Hermione laughed. "It's not all Ginny! I haven't emptied this properly for ages. Look!" She held up a half-filled bottle of dittany to show Fred. "I've still got things in here from when we were on the run."

"Want some music while you sort?" Hermione turned around to see Fred fiddling with a radio.

"Yes, if you like," she called back, wondering if they shared a similar taste in music. Even though they had known each other for years and had been so intimate over the past couple of days, there was still so much she and Fred had to learn about each other. She was happy when he chose a muggle soft rock station, and they both sang softly when a song that they knew came on.

Hermione surveyed the pile in front of her and decided to dive right in. It was very therapeutic to sort and organise her things; she felt that she was getting her life back into some kind of order. First, she picked out the things that were leftover from her time on the run with Harry and Ron and which she felt she wasn't going to need again for the foreseeable future. She would hang onto some of the clothing and equipment, and it might be useful to put the potions into the bathroom cabinet in the flat, but Hermione didn't need to think about that for now, so she packed it all into a small knapsack of Ron's which had somehow ended up in her bag.

Pushing the knapsack back into her beaded bag, Hermione next sorted out the clothes that Ginny had sent her for her honeymoon, blushing when she came across a couple of lacy outfits that had clearly been intended for the bedroom. Glad of the opportunity to stretch her legs, she slid off the day bed and levitated the clothes in front of her, walking across to the yurt and then unpacking them into a chest of drawers on her side of the bed.

"That looks sexy," Fred remarked, coming up behind her just as Hermione was folding one of the negligees into the drawer. "Can I see it on?"

"Right now?" Hermione turned to him.

"Anytime you like," he winked.

She smiled, reaching for his hip with her hand. "Let me get used to the idea, will you?"

"Of course," Fred bent and kissed her on the lips. "I take it that was Angelina's idea rather than yours?"

"Actually, I think it was your naughty sister, but feel free to attribute it to Ange if that makes you feel better!"

"Oooooh," he pulled a disgusted face. "I think I will. I'm still not used to the idea of Gin-Gin as a grown-up woman!"

Hermione laughed softly to herself as she finished putting the clothes away and stood to make her way back to the now shrinking pile of things on the day bed. Fred followed behind. "Are you having fun, love?"

"Yeah, I really am." She turned and put her arms around his waist. "Do you know what, Fred? I mean, laugh at me if you like, but this is really helping me adjust. Sort of putting my life back into order with the new developments."

Fred leaned down and gave her a kiss. "Then I'm glad, and I'm not laughing. It's all been very sudden, hasn't it, love?"

Hermione murmured in agreement, leaning her head into his chest. "I'm so happy to be with you, Fred. I'm just … well, thinking about where I might be this morning if you hadn't asked me to marry you … I don't know what this new law is going to hold, but thank you. Thank you for being there for me, Fred."

Fred leaned down so that their cheeks were touching. "Don't thank me, love. I'm just as happy that we're here and together as you are. If you hadn't felt the same way, or if I hadn't had the chance to ask you, well fuck knows what I would have done if something bad had happened to you as a result of the law. I don't even want to think about it!"

"Oh sorry," said Hermione.

"No, love," said Fred. "I didn't mean it like that. I think it's important that we talk about it, so don't be afraid to mention it whenever you like. That was just a figure of speech." Scooping her into his arms, he carried Hermione back to the day bed and plonked her back in front of the pile. "What's next then?"

"Well…" Hermione leaned forward and scooped a few items up into her arms. "I have some books and my cross stitch, so I can keep myself busy while I chat to you…" She made them into a neat pile beside her. That just left a few random items, including the champagne which Charlie had popped into Hermione's bag as they left. She turned to her right, putting it carefully into the cooler. "We'll open that later," she told Fred.

"That sounds good. I'm getting a taste for your fizzy stuff!"

"More than firewhisky?"

He tipped his head, considering the question. "No, but we're still having a prosecco and champagne fridge in the flat!"

"Well that sounds lovely." Hermione paused, as his words had reminded her of something. "Fred?"

"Yes love?" He was stroking her hand.

"Do we have a plan?" Hermione looked at him shyly and with a bit of worry. She knew that she was supposed to be relaxing and that Fred didn't need to make plans and have certainty in the way that she did. She wasn't sure whether he might be cross that she was, again, needing to know what was going to happen next.

He sensed her worry through the bond and shuffled closer, looping his long arm around her shoulders. "What sort of plan would you like, love? You feel worried again?"

"I'm more worried that you might be cross with me for not going with the flow…"

"No," he punctuated his reassurances with kisses. "I want you to feel comfortable. Tell me what you need…"

"OK," Hermione took a deep breath and a moment to think. "Well I do feel better for sorting all of my stuff out, and I know we've decided that I'll move into the flat when we leave here, but I don't know how long you want to stay here or when you want me to move in or when you need to get back to work or, well, anything really. I feel a bit untethered, to be honest."

"Oh, 'Mione, I'm sorry," he kissed her temple. "I forget you need to have a plan more than me…"

"I try not to," she mumbled.

"No, really, it's just who you are. I know that. Can't say I won't ever make fun of it, just a bit, but now's not the time, I know. How about you get me some pumpkin juice out of that cooler and we'll make a plan together?"

"Oh, can we really?"

Fred laughed, loudly. "Yes, love, really. You make it sound like I'm doing you a huge favour!"

Hermione blushed at that. "Well I feel you are, a bit!"

At that, he looked a bit more serious. "Hermione," he looked at her seriously. "As I understand it from my dad, marriage is about considering the other person and thinking about what they need. It's about respecting that their needs might be different from yours and working together so you can both be happy. You don't have to do all the adapting, you know?"

She looked into his eyes. "You're right. Thank you for reminding me. Charlie said something a bit similar…"

"Well he's been on the same Arthur Weasley training course as me, love. And a bit more on the side from this secret mystery woman of his, by the sound of it… I'm guessing that means I've got some still to come, from you!"

Hermione raised her eyebrows at him. "Maybe…"

"Good. So now talk me through what you're thinking about our plans?"

"Well that's the problem, Fred," said Hermione. "I literally don't have anything in my future, and I feel a bit untethered, as I said. Before this all happened, I had been trying to put some things into my life and make a new normal, like having a weekly catch-up lunch with Harry and Ron when their training allows, but I haven't got much further than that yet."

"We have a few things of our own now though, love, don't we?"

"We do?"

"Yes," Fred stroked Hermione's hand. "We've got date nights with Georgie and Ange on Wednesdays, Sunday lunch at The Burrow, and didn't you say you like to go for coffee on Sunday mornings?"

Hermione's eyes had got wider and she grasped Fred's hand. "You're right, Fred. I do have some fixed points. Oh Merlin, I hadn't even realised. I know it sounds silly, but this feels so good!"

Fred laughed. "Would you like me to suggest some more? All negotiable, of course?"

"Yes," she said. "I really would."

"Well I'm getting back into a routine at the shop, though we can be flexible with that. Friday evening we often go to The Leaky Cauldron, sometimes with Oliver and Neville and, well, whoever's around really. Saturdays are quidditch days. And we don't have a firm routine for those, because it depends quite a bit on where Ange is playing, but more often than not Georgie works in the shop in the morning and I work the afternoon so that he can see Ange play. And Saturday evenings we mostly have takeaway, because we don't know ahead of time when we'll all be back, or sometimes we go out. Now we can change any of that, but that's our routine at the moment…"

"No," Hermione interrupted. "Don't change any of it; I love it. I love that I can fit into things that are already happening."

Fred looked at her, a little curious, and Hermione shrugged. "Throughout the last year, I've been so worried that I was going to be on my own. When I obliviated my parents, I knew it was probably irreversible, but I couldn't let them be killed, and I know they would have been if I hadn't done it. I was worried that people would think badly of me and that I would be even more alone than I already was…" She trailed off, and this time Fred scooped her into his lap so that she was straddling his legs. He brought his arms behind her back and hugged her to his chest, spearing the fingers of one hand into her hair.

"Not alone, 'Mione. Never alone. You're a Weasley now; you'll bloody wish you could be alone sometimes, when we all get on your nerves, but you'll never be alone, my love."

More tears fell, and Hermione laughed through them. "Do you think I'll ever be able to go more than a few hours without crying, Fred?"

He kissed a tear away, tasting the salt on his lips. "Like we said earlier, I think it's probably your way of processing it all, and that can't be a bad thing. Better to get it out and work it through, love, whatever it takes."

"Bloody Voldemort. Bloody war."

"Yep. But we won, and we're safe. And we have each other."

"Yes, we do," she whispered. They sat in silence for a few moments, holding each other tightly.

"Do you know what I'd like, Fred?"

"What's that, love?"

"When I talked with Ron and Harry before the wedding, I realised that I'd really like to create a welcoming home like The Burrow, and invite everyone over, like your mum does."

"That sounds great. We could have a pizza night now and again … Georgie and I love pizza, but most of the others don't know how to order from non-magical pizza places. Or we could invite everyone over for board games."

Hermione's eyes lit up. "That's exactly the kind of thing I mean! Not every week, or it'll get too much, but maybe once a month we could do that…"

"It sounds great, love. So when are you going to move in with me and make the flat your own so we can get going on creating this new life?"

Hermione scooted around in his lap to get more comfortable. "I don't know. I don't know what plans you've made with Phil for staying here. That's something I'd like to discuss…"

"It's up to you, love. There's no definite plan." He caressed her back with his fingers. "Phil's expecting us to stay a few days, but he'd have told me if we had to be out by a certain date, and he hasn't said anything about that. So we can go tomorrow or we can stay for a week or two if you like. George says he'll manage for as long as I need him to, and we haven't stepped back into full production mode at the shop yet, so he'll be OK. And there's no-one else we need to worry about. It's more about you and what you'd like to do, love."

Hermione considered the options. It was Monday morning, and if George really was OK – and she felt waves of calm and friendliness through the bond, so she decided to trust that he was – then she would love to have a few days of peace, love, reading and sewing on the beach with Fred.

"Let's stay until Friday morning, if that's OK with you," she announced after a while. "That way, we can spend Friday moving me into the flat, have a nice morning together on Saturday and George can go to Ange's game. And we'll be back for Sunday dinner and that will make your mum happy."

"Wow," said Fred, still stroking his fingertips over Hermione's body, although his hands had moved in a southerly direction and he was now massaging Hermione's hips, thighs and, when he thought he could get away with it, gently reaching for her bottom. "You really are good at this thinking and planning stuff. I have a new appreciation for the machinations of your mind. Are you sure the hat shouldn't have put you in Slytherin?"

"Well he might have considered it," Hermione teased. "But luckily he put me somewhere where I could keep an eye on you until you were all grown up and ready for me…" She slipped her hand into Fred's shirt and leaned in for a kiss.

Fred's eyes rolled back into his head as he felt her hand on the bulge in his trousers. "Come to our other bed with me, Fred," she said. "I want to try something out…"

Twenty minutes later, Fred lay on his back; he was naked, spent and happy. Hermione had wanted to learn how to pleasure him with her mouth and had thoroughly practised licking, sucking and stroking his cock until he came with a cry that scared away a small flock of visiting seabirds. As soon as he regained enough energy, he turned the tables and reached to pull off her shorts and knickers, using his fingers and lips to bring her to a climax of her own.

Afterwards, they lay in the sun, chatting about nothing of importance. They made a light lunch of pita bread, humus and salad, and then Hermione settled back onto the day bed with the radio and her sewing while Fred decided to have a run up and down the beach before diving into the waves to cool off with a swim.

As she sewed, Hermione smiled to herself. They had made no plans for dinner but, now that she had a sense of what the next few days would hold, she was happy to live with not knowing some of the smaller stuff. She had, in fact, made a pact with herself to try and go with the flow a bit in that respect for the sake of her new husband, who clearly didn't need to plan ahead nearly as much as she usually did.

Fred was still in the sea, swimming long lengths parallel with the shoreline, when Hermione heard a swooping sound coming from behind her. Startled and still on edge from the war, she quickly snatched up her wand and leapt to her feet, adopting a defensive pose. The Ministry owl that was heading towards her gave a screech and tried to backpedal in mid-flight when he saw her.

Immediately, Hermione held her palms out, dropping her wand and reassuring the bird. "I'm sorry, little one, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." She reached for a piece of the fruit that had been in her juice, holding it out for the owl, who came towards her and stayed as far away as he possibly could while dropping the letter that he carried onto the pillow and snatching up the fruit. He then backed away, flying up to sit on the top of the day bed. It was clear that he had been told to await a reply.

Glancing out to sea, Hermione picked up the letter. Fred had spotted that something was happening and was now swimming in a straight line towards the shore. Minutes later, he emerged from the waves, and Hermione unselfconsciously ogled his body, holding out a towel but making him get as close to her as possible before finally handing it over.

"Liking the view, love?" He leaned down and kissed her, hard, and she squeaked at his touch.

"Very much, Fred. We have a letter." She held it towards him so he could see that it was addressed to both of them. "It's from the Ministry, to both of us."

"Fuck." He sat beside her, towelling his hair. "Hi there, little owl. I hope you haven't brought bad news…"

The owl looked nonplussed and gave nothing away.

Hermione poked her finger into the envelope and broke the seal. "I'm slightly scared to open it, Fred," she said.

"Love, we're bonded now. It's all legal, and there's nothing they can do. Do you want me to look?"

Hermione shook her head. "Let's look together." She pulled the letter from the envelope and opened it so that they could both see it. It was short, to the point, and from Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minister of Magic and the man who had made it possible for them to be together.

Kingsley's letter began by offering Hermione and Fred heartfelt congratulations on the completion of their bonding, apologising for intruding on their honeymoon and reassuring them that there was nothing to worry about. He went on to explain that he needed to speak with them both as a matter of urgency and requested that they join him in the private dining area at Phil's restaurant at 7pm that evening.

Hermione looked at Fred. "What do you think it's about?"

"The marriage law … it has to be," he replied.

They looked back at the letter. The final paragraph again urged them not to worry and Kingsley had written that he would make all necessary arrangements with Phil and looked forward to seeing them later. The letter finished by asking that they send a brief reply with Marlon, his owl, to confirm that the letter had reached them and that they would be at the restaurant later.

"My heart is racing," Hermione admitted.

"I can feel it, love. Mine is too, a bit. But Kings said not to worry, so let's focus on that. And he congratulated us on completing our bond; he's letting us know we're OK. Let's assume that all is good unless we're told otherwise."

"You're right." Hermione reached into her bag for a quill and wrote a quick note back to Kinsgley which she then gave to the owl. "Come with me, please," she told the little bird, taking her to the food hamper and finding her a couple of small pieces of meat to sustain him on the journey home. Bowing his head in thanks, the owl gobbled up the snacks and then flew in a wide circle to the top of the cliff and out of sight.


	25. Kingsley's plan

The thing that most surprised Hermione Granger-Weasley on the first full day of her honeymoon wasn't anything to do with sex or even the revelation that she now possessed a connection with her husband's twin brother. It was the degree to which she found she enjoyed sharing mundane activities with Fred, such as preparing their lunch and, now, getting ready for their dinner with Kingsley.

She had followed through with her plan of inviting Fred to join her in the bath – which was larger than she had thought, thanks to a clever charm – and they had gently and thoroughly washed each other's bodies and hair, enjoying the chance to explore each other even more closely than before. After a long cuddly soak, during which Hermione had kissed as many of Fred's freckles as she could without drowning, they had climbed out and wrapped themselves in enormous fluffy towels. Hermione had explained her love of 'drip drying' by laying on the bed in a towel rather than rubbing her skin or using a drying charm, and Fred had decided to try it too, so they had curled up together on the bed, drying quickly under the late afternoon sun.

"Would you like me to summon the champagne, love?" he asked, as they lay together.

"That would be very decadent, and quite lovely," Hermione pondered, "but I think I'd like a clear head for this. Go ahead if you'd like some; I want to see where the conversation goes first."

"You're probably right … how very sensible," Fred lamented. "Oh, it's like being married to Bill…"

"Hey!" Hermione rolled over and began to tickle him. "Take it back, you!"

"OK, OK," he laughed. "Though Bill IS very sensible … Eldest brother, Head Boy and all that," he winked. "Maybe you can put your school uniform on sometime and make me knuckle under…"

Hermione immediately felt wet. "Oh gods, Fred, I'm trying to get ready here, not dive back into another lovemaking session, wonderful as that sounds..."

He leaned in to kiss her and she gave in for a few moments before pulling back. The bond wasn't getting any less strong, but if they succumbed to another round, they would be late. "Don't make me be the one to always have to put the brakes on, Fred. It's hard; I want this as much as you do…"

He sat up, feeling a little guilty. "You're right love, I'm sorry." He nuzzled her neck. "When we get back, though…"

"Oh Merlin, yes…"

Hermione enjoyed the everyday act of dressing together for their evening out; checking clothing choices with each other and having Fred unnecessarily but enjoyably help her button up the simple dress that she had chosen. As she slipped on a pair of sandals, she watched Fred bend over to pull on his trousers and almost lost her resolve to be there a little ahead of Kingsley's arrival. She had said she would feel better if they could settle into their seats on the balcony ahead of time, and Fred was happy to go along with that.

It turned out that Kingsley had other ideas, though. When they arrived at the restaurant at 6.45, Phil told them that he was already on the balcony enjoying a beer in the sun. Phil hugged the pair of them and offered his congratulations, joking with them about the secrecy of their marriage.

"It was more sudden than secret, Phil," Fred told the wizard who was like a father-in-law to him. "Charlie was home, we had a full set of Weasleys and we just went for it. I'm sorry we couldn't ask you over…"

Phil held up a hand. "Don't even finish that sentence, son. I'm just happy to see you wed to this lovely witch. Maybe it'll give your brother ideas," he smiled and widened his eyes, making Hermione laugh. "Anyway, your host is here, waiting for you on the balcony. We've already had aurors here putting up silencing and protection charms and I've had to agree to the Ministry sending one to act as your waiter, so my staff can't overhear your conversation." He laughed loudly at what was clearly a private joke as he escorted Fred and Hermione to the balcony where they had spent their first date just a couple of nights before.

Hermione grinned when she realised why Phil had laughed. Standing next to Kingsley was his personal auror assistant for the evening in the form of Harry Potter, who turned and greeted Hermione with a hug while Fred and Kingsley shook hands. "I'm not technically on the job," Harry told her, lifting his wine glass in a toast. "Just ensuring that you two and Kings can have a private conversation and not have to stop every time the food comes and goes."

Kingsley leaned forward and kissed Hermione on the cheek. "Thank you both so much for coming. Normally I would have asked you to the Ministry, but I wanted to disrupt your honeymoon as little as possible. I do apologise for this but, as I'll explain, I felt I had no other option. Let's get some food and drinks ordered; I don't want to keep you in suspense."

Having settled themselves on the beanbags, Kingsley made short work of ordering. "First," he said, "this is on the Ministry's tab; very least we can do. And second, I propose the Ministry buy us a couple of bottles of champagne to celebrate your bonding and, unless you have any objections, I'll order Phil's full tasting menu and Harry can bring it all out at once so we can all try a bit of everything for future reference?"

"That sounds delightful," said Hermione, and Fred nodded in agreement. Harry opened the balcony door and went to take their order to Phil.

Kingsley wasted no time in explaining the reason for their meeting. "I'll get right to the point," he said, looking between Fred and Hermione. "The Wizengamot have been planning to introduce a marriage law, and I have been doing everything I can to prevent this from happening."

Both tried to look surprised at this news, but neither were politicians and they had decided earlier that it would be best to allow Kingsley to lead the conversation and keep as quiet as possible until they found out what was happening.

"I knew this when I met you on Saturday," Kingsley continued. "I wondered, momentarily, whether you might have got wind of this, but of course," he eyed them closely, willing them not to respond in a way that would incriminate anybody, "that would have been impossible." He lifted his glass, allowing Harry to pour him some champagne, offering a toast to the still silent couple who raised their glasses in turn before taking a sip and continuing.

"The law itself isn't as draconian as some of the internal Ministry rumours were implying," Kingsley said, "but the implications for a well-known muggle-born witch like yourself, Ms Granger-Weasley; I will admit that had me worried. We were planning to impose the need for young witches and wizards to marry, and the dwindling magical birth rate meant that some of those in the Wizengamot wanted to insist that muggleborn witches and wizards wishing to start a family needed to do so with pure or half bloods."

He paused to allow that to sink in, not sure of how much of this news had reached Hermione and Fred's ears. "We were not planning to dictate exact pairings. There are, however, some in the Wizengamot who retain some rather old-fashioned values, and a few of the covenants held by the older wizarding families that have fallen out of fashion rather than become illegal are … well let's just say I was very glad to help you bond with Fred before we found out whether that would have become an issue. I feared you might have been forced into a marriage with another wizard before someone more suitable could have made you a marriage offer."

Hermione lowered her head, partly in thanks and partly so that Kingsley couldn't see her reaction as she took a drink. Fred felt her heartbeat speed up and took her hand in his.

"When I agreed to officiate for you, I knew I would need to explain to the Wizengamot on Monday morning that I married you to each other over the weekend, and that it was a time-sensitive, post-war, family commitment situation." He sipped again, lubricating his own speech with more champagne.

Fred softly squeezed Hermione's hand under the table again; they were still unsure as to where this was headed. "After you left me on Saturday, as I lay in my deck chair and thought about how I would present the news, well it got me thinking. Oh, food Harry!"

Harry turned to see Phil beckoning him from the window, and they all paused. Opening the balcony door, Harry raised his wand to take over the levitation of a large, wooden lazy Susan on which all the food was laid out. He settled it into the middle of the table and sat down beside Kingsley as Phil saluted and ensured that the door was closed. They all took a few moments to serve themselves and each other with food before Kingsley continued talking.

"I have never been a fan of a heavy-handed, do-as-we-say-or-suffer approach; I would much rather offer carrots than sticks. Mmmmm, this is great!"

"It really is," Harry agreed.

"And as I lay there and considered the words that I would use to explain my actions and the depth of your love to my colleagues," he tipped his head to one side and looked at Hermione and Fred again before shrugging his shoulders, "I realised that – with your permission, of course – it might be possible to use the example of your love and devotion as a symbol which might work as a last ditch attempt to persuade others of the benefits of trying to encourage and promote an epidemic in family making rather than imposing it as a legal requirement."

Hermione felt as if she was having a lightbulb moment, as she suddenly realised where he was going. She wasn't sure if she was going to like the destination though.

"After all," Kingsley was saying, "a horde of magical children borne from love is better than a few borne of pressure." He looked at Harry. "That's the basis of my argument to do away with the blood mixing element of the law which, as you know, is where you come in, Harry."

Harry nodded his head, and Hermione looked at him briefly, but her concern about her own situation was too great to allow her to think about the implications of what Kingsley had just said to her friend.

"Are you asking me to get pregnant?" she asked quietly, casting her eyes to Fred and then to Harry, who was happily helping himself to more food, oblivious to this possible bombshell. Hermione wasn't completely sure if that was where Kingsley was going, but she was really torn on this issue of children. Yes, their bonding had made the thought of bearing Fred's child an attractive one, but Hermione knew she needed time before she made that commitment.

"No, Hermione, I am not. Really," he reassured her, with a deep and sincere look. "I realise that you, of all people, need time to recover from everything that has happened, and I think it would be grossly unfair of me." He sighed. "That's why I did everything I could to stop this law in the first place; it's why I spent all morning persuading the Wizengamot to try my suggestion of delaying the law in favour of my new revised plan. It's why I am hoping, with a slightly heavy heart, that you two might consider helping me with my campaign."

"Why with a heavy heart?" Fred wondered if he was missing something.

"Because although you made this decision freely and together," he looked out to sea for a few seconds before returning his gaze to the young couple, "I worry about it." Deep down, Kingsley knew that the wedding law rumours had forced their hand and led to their decision to marry, and he wanted to acknowledge and apologise for this, while at the same time applauding the fact that their decision was going to lead to freedom for others. "It was me that insisted on the full bonding, and I worry that I went too far."

Fred put his fork down and leaned forward. "Sir, I've not quite got my head around what you're asking us to do yet, but if you're feeling bad, then please don't. I have wanted this wonderful witch to be by my side for years." He looked at Hermione, who nodded. "There's nothing that could happen that would make me regret what we've done; what you've helped us to do. Am I right in thinking that, if we hadn't come to you and got married, we would all now be facing the law of which you speak?"

Kingsley nodded, sadly.

"Then I am doubly happy and grateful."

Hermione reached for his hand, her gaze also on the Minister of Magic. "I feel the same. And perhaps we should tell you how far back this goes for us." She turned her gaze to Fred, who nodded. "I realised when Fred lent me his jumper several years ago that it smelled like the amortentia that Snape had had us brew a few months before. I've loved this wizard for a very long time. Turns out he felt the same. I know what you're thinking, and you don't need to say it. I feel like Fred and I are soulmates, and we have no regrets."

Kingsley bowed his head slightly. "I surely appreciate hearing that. I am acutely aware of the political manipulations of powerful wizards over the past few years and it is not my intention to use others as pawns. You deserve to be allowed to get on with your lives now, and not to be the pawns of politicians. But your situation fits my cause, and I could use it to help people retain their human rights. If you would help, I will do everything I can to reduce what we are asking of you."

"What are you asking, exactly?" Hermione spoke quietly.

"Please, I feel I'm making you worry more than you need to," Kingsley spoke kindly. "I am asking," he reached for his napkin and dabbed his mouth carefully, "if you would consider becoming the faces of a campaign in which we will explain the need for love and marriage and for magical folk everywhere to start a post-war baby boom, ideally with as much mixing of different blood types as possible. I want to use your story, if I may, as inspiration to others and as incentive to marry and have families rather than have us feel the need to bring in a law to ensure the survival and growth of the magical population."

"Follow the lead of the war heroine and the resistance fighter, who held on to their love for each other as they played their separate parts through the war and then married as soon as they could once it was over…" Fred's voice wasn't as full of mirth as usual, but he didn't look like he hated the idea.

"Exactly. My hope is that we can encourage others to do the same without needing to force it upon them. I don't want to put pressure on you with babies, and we will be clear that we support people spending a few years together before starting a family as much as we support those who want to start immediately."

"You might want to talk to Ginny about that," smiled Hermione. Fred immediately put his fingers in his ears, and Kingsley laughed.

"Don't think that thought hasn't occurred to me; I'm a politician, remember?! There's a reason I've already got Harry involved, but we'll get back to that."

"So what are you asking for, and what's the time commitment?" Hermione was all business now, and Fred was impressed.

"A few hours at your convenience for a photo shoot; attendance at a couple of balls; coming along to stand beside me while I make a few key announcements if you can bear it. The Ministry will provide you with a generous allowance and cover your expenses. Essentially, I want to use your faces as war heroes and your story to back my campaign. It won't hurt at all that you're both lovely looking and clearly in love, but it's not my intention to force you further into the limelight. I will take as much of the publicity as possible onto myself, and I have a series of announcements covering incentives which I can use to take the spotlight off you and place it on my programme."

"Incentives?" Fred was intrigued and impressed by Kingsley's strategic thinking.

The minister nodded. "Confidentially," he tipped his head to one side and chuckled, "although I understand from Harry, who popped into your shop earlier today, that there's a third person attached to this bond, so I am not asking you to keep any of this from George –"

Fred grinned. "Thank you."

Kingsley bowed his head in acknowledgement and drank a bit more champagne before he continued.

"Riddle and his supporters had an absolute fortune stashed away, and I have managed to corral a very large part of it for useful purposes. At this juncture in history, I can think of nothing more useful than to turn it into generous grants which we will give to any young couple marrying or adding to their family over the next few years. And that includes same-sex couples and those open to adoption, before you ask about equality, Ms Granger-Weasley. We have a number of orphaned children who will be far better off in families than institutions. We shall need to be careful; I don't want people to marry or procreate simply because there is an incentive, so we will put some safeguards in place, but I think the small risks posed by this plan are far less than the implications of a marriage law."

"Indeed," Hermione was in complete agreement.

"I love that you're going to do that with his money, and I'm OK with the poster idea," Fred grinned.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Yes, you would be! That's the bit I'm not so sure about!"

"You'll be great, love!" Fred waved his hand across the sky. "I can see us now. We'll be standing on Stoatshead Hill, with fireworks from the shop going off in the background and a fan making our wedding robes blowing behind us and there will be big letters saying, 'magic needs you'."

Hermione snorted. "Or maybe we could both be naked and hold each other close so you couldn't really see anything and have it say, 'do it for the wizarding world'."

Fred's eyes grew wide. "Would you do that, love?"

Kingsley almost choked on his champagne.

"Of course I bloody wouldn't," Hermione laughed. "But your face was a picture!" She turned to Kingsley. "I understand the need for this. I just don't want any more limelight. I don't know what I want to do yet, but I want to do it quietly," she said.

"And I understand that," Kingsley told her. "I wouldn't ask if I could think of an alternative. We still need to have a conversation with your sister, Mr Granger-Weasley, but Harry has agreed in principle to considering a large, public wedding so that we can all celebrate the marriage of the-boy-who-lived-and-grew-into-the-man-who-defeated-Riddle with the love of his life.

"Oh, Ginny will love that!" Fred announced.

"Really?" Hermione was unsure.

"Oh yes," he nodded. "Trust me. She won't mind it nearly as much as you would. It'll take the cameras off us for sure. And you do realise," he turned towards Kingsley, grinning, "that my mum will love you forever for this?"

Kingsley pulled a wry face. "It did cross my mind that I would probably get a permanent invite to your solstice parties, but that wasn't my main motivation, son."

Fred let out a huge laugh. "This is OK, love, we can do this," he said to Hermione. "Just think, it's like you wanted to achieve with S.P.E.W., but with people being free instead. It's like you're knitting socks for everyone of our generation. A marriage law would be terrible, and this would mean we could save people from it."

Hermione looked at Fred and took a deep breath, catching his eyes. She loved that this man shared her passion for justice, and she knew he would protect her from more publicity than she could handle. She leaned forward to gently reward her husband's passion with a kiss and then turned back to Kingsley.

"That's all of it?"

Kingsley nodded in reply.

"Then yes, OK." She was definitely feeling more relaxed now that she had heard the whole story, and she began to tuck in to her food with more passion than before, thankful for Phil's heating charms which meant it was still fresh and warm despite the length of their conversation.

Kingsley looked immensely relieved and placed his hands together before offering them a small bow of gratitude. "Thank you both. More than I can convey. I will pay you both very generously for this, in any way you prefer. I know you already have the Order of Merlin money, Hermione, but nothing would make me happier then to transfer a sizeable portion of Riddle's fortune to your vault in recompense for what you have done."

"The shop does well, Minister" Fred interjected." We don't really need the money…"

"I realise that, son. Don't reject me without thinking about it, though, please. Your reward doesn't have to come in the form of money. We can translate money into other things. Maybe we can create the perfect job at the Ministry for Hermione here, or help build you a house that will give you sanctuary and privacy from the world."

Fred sat up a little straighter in his seat at that. "Actually, there might be something that I'd like to ask for, but I should talk to Hermione about it first."

Hermione turned to look at him. She had no idea what he was thinking. Their earlier conversation had been all about her needs, and she was keen to hear what Fred would ask for. "Go ahead and say it, Fred. I can't imagine I'm going to disagree and, if I do, well I think we know Kingsley and Harry well enough to chat it through in front of them…"

"Well, if Hermione agrees, then I'd like whatever you would have paid me to be paid to my parents instead, but by some means that won't make them think they're taking charity or anything like that. They've done so much for all of us and the Order and everyone. They've never had enough to go around, but they've sacrificed their whole lives for others."

"Mmmmm," Kingsley was nodding and thinking as Fred continued.

"And George and I, and Bill and Charlie too, we make more than enough to share with them," he was explaining to Hermione and Harry as well, "but they won't take much. We all do what they'll allow us to; the problem is their pride…" He rolled his eyes, although he did understand how they felt. "If George and I try to give them things that are too costly, mum gets funny with us. So please, use my share to promote dad to a new job that he loves and triple his salary, or pretend that there has been an oversight and he actually has a great retirement plan … find a way to give them my share that they won't question and that doesn't look like it came from us, please. That's what I'd like you to do to reward me."

Hermione was gazing at Fred throughout and, when he finished, she took his hand in hers. "I agree wholeheartedly, and I'd like you to add my share to that as well, please," she told Kingsley, who nodded.

"I think a promotion with a considerable salary raise and a new type of retirement plan could be arranged. I think perhaps it's time the Minister had a special advisor for decoding muggle inventions. We'll make it a post for three years with a splendid retirement package that he can take anytime he likes after that, so he can enjoy any grandchildren that you all provide. But," he looked at Hermione, smiling, "only when you're ready!"

Hermione and Fred both laughed out loud before Fred spoke. "That would be perfect."

"I'm glad you think so," Kingsley smiled. "Now I'll leave it for a couple of weeks so as not to arouse suspicion, but I think we'll be having a Ministry reshuffle once we get our marriage ducks in a row, so I'll make it happen then."

Fred extended his hand across the table and Kingsley shook it. "Thank you, Minister. It means a lot to me."

"To us," said Hermione, giving Kingsley a warm smile. "So, I don't mean to be rude, but is that really it now? Or is there anything else as well?"

"No," Kingsley chuckled, "that's all I can think of. I wanted to ask for your help, and the Wizengamot have given me until tomorrow lunchtime to put a reasonable 'plan B' together, with a commitment from the two of you, and Harry and Ms Weasley, and Harry doesn't seem to think that will be a problem.

"I'm going to The Burrow to talk to Ginny once I leave here," Harry told them. "I'd like to tell her that you two are in, if that's OK with you?"

"Of course," said Hermione. "And give her my love, please?"

"I will," Harry nodded.

Hermione's face fell. "What about Ron though?"

"What about him, love?" Fred looked concerned.

"He likes Luna, but they're both purebloods."

"Yes, that was another of my concerns with the original law." Kingsley reached for another spoonful of spicy rice.

"You were worried about Ron?" Harry asked incredulously.

Kingsley and Fred both laughed loudly.

"Well not specifically Ron, but in principle … I was concerned about getting in the way of true love. We desperately need magical babies, but we need happy couples and families more, so by removing that qualification and replacing it with an incentive my hope is that happy couples will make more babies, and thus we'll have more magical babies overall. In general, the pureblood families don't need the financial incentive, so that shouldn't disadvantage anyone overly."

Hermione was nodding furiously. "So people will be able to marry anyone, but financial rewards will be there for those whose marriages mix blood and make babies."

Kingsley made a sound of affirmation as he chewed. "It's not perfect, but that's the best I have so far. We'll keep working on it, but it's a vast improvement on the alternative."

Hermione and Fred looked at each other and a wave of emotion passed between them. Luck, family and love as well as the trust of the man before them had saved them from being affected by the threatened marriage law. They had years to debate the paradox and the irony; for now they were more than happy to let Kingsley use their story if it would help him help others to marry and live in love rather than being forced together against their will. Snuggling closer together on the beanbag, the couple relaxed fully for the first time since they had reached the restaurant, tucking into the food and champagne and chatting happily with their friends. And if Fred still harboured fantasies about half-naked photo shoots on Stoatshead Hill, well nobody needed to know about that until he whispered them into Hermione's ear later as they lay in bed later that evening and chatted about their day.


	26. Tea at The Burrow

The remainder of Fred and Hermione's honeymoon passed happily. They were delighted to discover that they both tended to rise early. Fred would get up and run before making breakfast, returning with product ideas that he loved to tell Hermione about. While he was exercising, Hermione pottered about, sewed, read and enjoyed having time to process the enormity of what had happened over the past few months, weeks and days. They walked along the beach and soaked together afterwards in the bath and hot tub. They spent their days chatting and swimming and their nights finding pleasure in each other's bodies before falling asleep wrapped around each other.

All too soon, it was their last evening, and they took themselves up to the restaurant for a slow, sunset-lit meal together before an early night, scooting their beanbags close together so that they could cuddle as they ate.

"This has been absolute bliss, Fred," Hermione murmured, leaning towards him for a kiss. "Thank you for making it happen."

"It was a total pleasure, love. How are you feeling about going home tomorrow? Still wanting to move in with me?"

"More than ever," she said, sleepily. "I can't wait to properly begin our life together…"

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

One of the things that Hermione most loved about being magical was the ability to pack quickly and with her wand doing all the work, which meant she was ready to leave the honeymoon cove about ten minutes after she had showered and dressed on Friday morning. Fred was equally eager and, although most of his keenness was because he was about to move in with one of his other halves, a bit of his excitement was down to the fact that he was about to be reunited with George. He found it stressful to be apart from his twin for any length of time and Hermione had already picked up on this the previous afternoon, suggesting that Fred plan on going down to the shop for lunch with George as soon as they arrived home. This idea pleased Fred no end and led to his rewarding Hermione with a mind-blowing orgasm courtesy of his lips and tongue.

Fred had settled their bill with Phil on Thursday evening, so all that was left was to pack their things and apparate to the flat. Once there, Fred gave Hermione the grand tour and they both stopped, hand-in-hand, when they saw that Molly and Arthur had tied their bonding cord to Fred's bed as promised. Fred's parents had also bought the couple new bedding as a wedding present and the bed was beautifully made. A lovely card on the pillow wished them the happiest life together. Hermione took the card into the living room and placed it on the mantlepiece.

"It's a good job that's long," Fred commented. When Hermione turned to see what he meant, she saw a pile of cards and presents that had been left for them by family and friends. They decided to save the present opening for later, though. Hermione's first job was to send Fred downstairs to spend time with George, telling him to come and find her at The Burrow if she wasn't back by the time he returned to the flat. She smiled to herself as George sent a wave of happiness through the bond as soon as Fred appeared in the shop. Chuckling, she took some floo powder from the mantlepiece and headed to The Burrow where she found Molly was equally delighted to see her.

"Was it lovely?" Molly smiled at Hermione and raised her eyebrows. "I'll just put the kettle on and you can tell me all about it."

"It was totally gorgeous," Hermione told her. "So relaxing … you and Arthur should go there sometime; I think you'd love it!"

Molly wrinkled her nose. "I'm not sure I'd be good at all that relaxing, love, but maybe one day…"

Hermione smiled. "Thank you for the bedding, it was very kind of you, and it's lovely."

"Yes, well," Molly smiled wryly. "There's another bit to come, but you'll have to wait til Christmas! And it needed doing; I'm not sure if you ever went in Fred's room before your wedding, but let's just say the colour palette wasn't exactly restful!"

"Really?" Hermione hadn't ever been in Fred's bedroom. There would have been no reason for her to go there, so she could only imagine how it had looked before.

Molly shook her head and lifted her eyes to the ceiling as she moved about the kitchen making the tea. "Perhaps a bit more orange than a new bride with good taste would appreciate." She brought a tray to the table and leaned in, lowering her voice. "In truth, lovely, I thought if I bought you new bedding then at least that was one thing you wouldn't have to negotiate."

"That was very kind."

Molly made a dismissive noise and dunked a biscuit into her tea. "So everything OK then?"

"Lovely, thank you."

Hermione told Molly about how relaxing the honeymoon had been. She outlined some of what they had chatted about and visibly relaxed as she told her mother-in-law how much better she felt just for having a few more certainties in her life. Molly was delighted to hear that and told Hermione as much.

They went onto their second cup of tea and Hermione told Molly about her connection with George. Molly laughed and rolled her eyes when she heard that George and Angelina had joined them for brunch the next morning. "That's ten galleons I owe Bill, then. After you left the wedding, he took one look at George's face and bet me they wouldn't be able to last the week without finding some way to see each other!"

Hermione smiled. "Well technically, Bill wasn't correct … it was actually me that wanted to see George!"

Molly raised her eyebrows. "Oh was it now? Interesting. I'll save that little bit of information; we'll see where it gets me!"

Having gained permission from Kingsley to tell other Order members about his plans, Hermione also updated Molly on the situation with the marriage law, although she decided not to mention Ginny and Harry's involvement; that was their story to tell. Molly was, perhaps predictably, concerned that her middle son and newest daughter were being manipulated, but Hermione was quick to reassure her. "Molly, I'm OK with it. Kings knows that I don't want any more limelight, and he's promised to keep it to a minimum. But I can't not help. When I think about how I felt in the minutes between finding out about the upcoming marriage law and finding out that Fred loved me and was prepared to marry me right away to protect me, well I just don't want anyone else to feel that way. It's really a small thing to do under the circumstances."

"Well if you say so, dear." Molly still looked a bit sceptical, but she wasn't going to argue. She had more important conversations to have and, knowing that Hermione was probably there to pack, she really needed to get on with it before the younger witch decided to head upstairs. Taking another sip of her tea and trying to sound casual, Molly posed a further question. "And how are things in the bedroom, lovely? I wouldn't be a good stand-in mum if I didn't ask you that, especially given the speed of what's happened with you and Fred."

"Oh." After nearly a week of being close to Fred, Hermione was starting to grow into her own sexuality and was interested to find that she no longer blushed when the topic was raised. But she wasn't sure how to reply. "Erm, fine?" Hermione didn't exactly mean for it to sound like a question, because the reality was that things in that department were very much more than fine. They were actually bloody amazing, thank you very much. No, her reticence was related to her uncertainty about having this conversation with the mother of the man who now shared her bed. And who made her feel the most immense pleasure in it (and sometimes out of it) at least twice a day so far.

Molly had suspected that reticence might be an issue, so was ready with more drastic measures. She stood up from the table, bent down to look in a cupboard, rooted around a bit and then exclaimed in joy. Standing again, she brandished a bottle of firewhisky. "I have a bugger of a time keeping one in reserve with all those boys wandering through my cupboards. It's nice to find one where I left it for a change." She poured a generous slug into each mug of tea.

Hermione looked at the clock. "It's only ten o-clock, mum!"

"Never mind that. There are three occasions on which you will find that it is perfectly acceptable to drink before lunchtime. Christmas day, family crises and mother-daughter sex chats. You enjoy that, Hermione, because I rather hope we'll have a calm rest of the year and you and I won't be doing this again until December!"

Hermione obediently took a big gulp of her tea, and then another. She had to admit that the firewhisky felt good and decided that she could happily adopt Molly's once in a blue moon morning alcohol policy into her own branch of the Weasley family.

Molly took a sip of her tea before speaking again. "Someone needs to make sure you're alright and on the right track, especially with your own mum not here. Are you sore at all? Do you have questions? Is there anything at all that I can help with?"

Hermione nodded. It was kind of Molly to be concerned; she just wasn't sure what the etiquette for these sort of things was. Hermione didn't feel she needed advice but, if she did, she knew that either Ginny or Angelina would be more than happy to talk to her. But she couldn't exactly tell Molly that. Before she could compose a sentence, Molly had started speaking again.

"If you'd rather not talk to me then I'm sure Fleur would be happy to … I just think it's important that a woman has someone she can chat with about such things. In my experience, women who don't have satisfying sex lives don't tend to start conversations about it themselves, so I happen to think we all owe it to other witches to not be afraid to bring it up, even if it's a bit uncomfortable or embarrassing at first." More tea sipping, and then Molly's face changed to reflect an idea that had crossed her mind. "Here…" She reached behind her and took a picture off the sideboard, showing it to Hermione. "Imagine she's asking you instead of me. She's your age, and she doesn't even know who Fred is… Would you tell her, dear?"

The picture was of Molly when she was about nineteen or twenty; she was laughing, waving at the camera and clearly saying something cheeky to whoever was taking the picture. Hermione spotted the ring on her finger and guessed that the photo Molly would have been newly married, but probably not yet pregnant with Bill, as her tummy was slim in her sundress.

Hermione felt a little ashamed. Molly was the kindest person, and she had made her point well. Their age difference and the nature of their relationship weren't exactly the important factors here. Molly only wanted to help, and it really wouldn't hurt Hermione to have someone to chat to.

Fortifying herself with another big mouthful of the boozy tea, Hermione sat forward and took the photo into her own hands before answering in a soft voice. "I would tell her that it was lovely, Molly. He was incredibly gentle, and he made sure I was ready. Which I was … which was good, because the bonding magic was so much more powerful than either of us had imagined." She looked into the distance, her softening gaze giving Molly more reassurance than any words could. "This huge glowing light surrounded us both the first time we connected in that way and it was really quite remarkable; quite an amazing feeling, and –" she finally looked directly into Molly's eyes, "and I'm talking to teenage Molly who doesn't have any sons, right?"

"That's right, dear. And who won't tell anyone else, ever."

"OK, well only because you've put firewhisky in me and I don't want you to worry … it was actually bloody marvellous and we did it at least twice every day and I love it. The bond is pulling us together and I don't know how much of it is that or the intensity of our love but you can be assured that I am very, very satisfied."

Molly decided not to mention the way in which Hermione's pupils widened and her breathing changed when she talked about being with Fred, but the concord between Hermione's words and her body language pleased her immensely. She clasped her hands together in happiness, but Hermione didn't let that interrupt her flow. "And you can tell Arthur that he should be really proud of having raised Fred to be such a gentleman but if he ever mentions that to me directly then I may die of embarrassment so please don't let him." She drank some more tea as Molly nodded her understanding. "I really appreciate the potion because we want to wait a little while and get to know each other better before we start a family, and if it's OK with you then I would like to come over sometime and learn to make it, please? And I promise that if I have any questions or worries I will come back to you, but I'm really OK, Molly … mum, thank you so much for caring about me in this way."

Molly had the most enormous smile on her face as Hermione finished talking. "I'm so glad, dear. I just couldn't bear the idea of you needing advice or not being satisfied and not having anyone to talk to about how to make that better. You'll be a long time married, dear, and it's much easier to sort these things out earlier than later."

"Thank you. Really. For everything." Hermione reached forward across the table in a gesture of appreciation.

Molly covered Hermione's hand with her own. "That's OK, dear. My Freddie is a good man. One of his teachers once described him as slightly cruel, but I think they misunderstood him. He would never hurt anyone intentionally." She paused, thinking of the war and Umbridge and Bellatrix, and then modified her statement. "Well, not under normal circumstances." Hermione hummed in agreement, knowing exactly what Molly meant. "Fred's very quick-thinking and fast to act, too. But sometimes, his mind or his wand move faster than his sense of reason; he doesn't always think things through first. I'll be honest," she looked directly at Hermione. "I checked with George after I heard he had proposed to you last Saturday morning; I didn't want the two of you to end up doing something you'd regret, but George said Fred had loved you for years and it wasn't really sudden at all. I guess mothers don't know everything after all!"

Hermione's voice was still soft. "I have loved him for a long time too; we'd just never figured out each other's feelings."

"George tempers him, you know?" Hermione was listening carefully; this was stuff she really needed to know. "Calms Fred down, makes him stop and think. You might need to play a similar role, dear, when George isn't there. But I'm sure you'll figure that out in your own time. I'm not trying to tell you what to do."

"I know, mum, it's OK," Hermione spoke gently. "I really appreciate this. It's not like we had the chance to have our relationship develop slowly, over time."

Molly smiled at the photo, which Hermione was still holding. "You'd have liked young Molly, I think. The two of you would have been friends. She was a lot like Ginny; outspoken and knew her mind. Not so into quidditch, though!" Molly pulled a face. "I had brothers too, so it wasn't that. No, young Molly preferred to stay on the ground and talk about wizards," she grinned naughtily at Hermione, and for the first time ever Hermione could see a resemblance to Fred and George, "and if you ever want to chat to her about anything, she's here for you."

Hermione stood from her chair and walked around the table to give Molly a hug. "Thank you."

Molly rubbed her back. "You're still so thin, dear. I really do need to fatten you up. I'll make apple pie for Sunday dinner, I think. With cream; you always seem to have room for that!"

"I do." Hermione realised that Molly was probably going to chat all morning unless she took the plunge and changed the subject herself. "Mum, I don't mean to be rude, but I need to go upstairs and get my stuff together so I can take it to the flat. I'm hoping to get moved in today."

"Of course!" Molly pushed her own chair back from the table. "I didn't mean to keep you chatting. Just let me know if you need either or both of us to help. Arthur's outside in his shed."

"I will." Hermione kissed her mother-in-law's cheek as they left the table and moved in different directions. Hermione headed upstairs to the attic, where her school trunk was stored, and then back to Ginny's room. It took only a few simple spells to accio everything she owned which was currently at The Burrow and pack it into the trunk. She looked wistfully around Ginny's bedroom but realised that this wasn't really a goodbye that she needed to linger over. They would be bound to spend lots of time here and she might even be back to stay overnight at family gatherings. She cast a featherlight charm on her trunk and began to levitate it down the stairs in front of her, soon wishing that Ron or one of his brothers were there. Negotiating the maze of the stairs with the bulky box was an art that she hadn't yet mastered and she was very glad to see Arthur's head pop up as he wordlessly raised his own wand and helped her trunk negotiate the final two flights.

Hermione thanked and hugged him, answered his questions about the honeymoon (which were very tame compared to his wife's, and mostly related to the restaurant and cove) and then sent her trunk through the floo to Fred and George's flat before following herself.


	27. Misunderstandings, bacon and presents

Arriving back at the flat, Hermione left her trunk in front of the fireplace and then went down to the shop to search for Fred. She found him in the back room, and he was a bit embarrassed that he had got so caught up with his brother and their restocking that he hadn't made it to The Burrow, but Hermione reassured him that it wasn't a problem. Fred came back upstairs with her to put in a floo order with The Leaky Cauldron for lunch and so that they could clear wardrobe, drawer and shelf space for her things. He made it very clear that he wasn't at all attached to whether she wanted to move his stuff.

"Just don't throw anything out without asking, please!" he called over his shoulder as he carried an armful of her books into the living room.

"I would never do that!" laughed Hermione.

"You're only saying that 'cause you haven't found his dirty mags yet!"

George had followed them upstairs, deciding it was time for his lunch break too. Hermione squeaked with delight and crossed the bedroom to hug him.

"Did you enjoy your sex conversation with mum then?"

Hermione gently tapped his chest as she left his arms. "You picked that up?"

"Only a bit," Fred laughed. "Between us, we knew you were at The Burrow and we got a sense of embarrassment and a lot of mum chatting, so we put two and two together and made seventeen."

"Well on this occasion, you were right!"

It was interesting, because she and Fred had realised over the past few days that the bond link wasn't always a direct and clear line of communication. It was pretty fantastic during kissing and cuddling and sex, because their ability to feel what each other was feeling when they were physically close served to enhance their sensations. On an everyday basis, however, it wasn't always easy to interpret the complexity of human emotion. It was like a tool, Fred had suggested as they lay in the sun one evening when they had been at the cove. Like their wands or one of Arthur's beloved muggle screwdrivers. It was well designed to do a specific job, but that didn't mean that one didn't need to learn and hone the art of using it.

Hermione had looked across at him with a sense of wonder when he had said that. She had always been attracted to the way that Fred thought – which was rather different to her own approach – and it was one of the things that made him stand out from the crowd for her. But as she spent more and more time with him, she found herself revelling in the way in which his mind put things together. He seemed to invent new ways of thinking and approaches to things with the same ease with which he (and George) came up with new product or prank ideas and layered and interwove complex magic in order to bring them to fruition.

Hermione's appreciation for Fred's way of thinking didn't always meant that she could follow, understand or predict it, though. Their first significant misunderstanding occurred on the Sunday morning, exactly a week after their wedding day.

The Friday and Saturday had gone really well. Hermione had enjoyed a productive moving in day and then the experience of a normal Saturday with the twins. This, as advertised, had involved sharing a cooked (mostly by George) breakfast, after which the boys took turns working in the shop before George went off to watch Angelina play quidditch. Hermione went down to the shop for a few hours and set herself to work making bases for glitterbubble products in the back room while Fred entertained customers. She found that she rather enjoyed this task and listened to songs on the boys' radio as she pottered about between the recipe book, a series of cauldrons and a happy mess of ingredients scattered across the counter.

George returned to the shop alone at about five o'clock. The match had gone well and Ange's team had won, but one of her team mates had just got engaged and she and her friends had decided to have a girls' night out in muggle London. So George joined Fred and Hermione for an evening of laughter and take-away, which they ate in the roof garden which sat on top of the boys' flat.

Hermione hadn't even known it was there; she and Fred hadn't got that far on her tour, so she was delighted to discover the open space, high above Diagon Alley, in which a few fruit trees and wooden planters decorated a covered patio area. There wasn't much furniture, but Arthur and Molly had given George and Fred an old wooden table and bench set from The Burrow and they had requisitioned a small but usable grill that Phil was throwing out. The whole area could use a bit of sprucing up, but Hermione could see that it had considerable potential. She had visions of stringing fairy lights through the trees and planting some fragrant herbs which would scent the air and which Fred and George might be able to use in some of their products.

They had all gone to bed at a relatively early hour for a Saturday night and, on the Sunday morning, Hermione woke up early with terrible cramps. She had lost track of time and had forgotten that her period was due. Slipping out of the bed without waking Fred, she went to the bathroom where she tried to sort herself out as best she could in a flat that had previously only housed male occupants. Sore, tense and feeling like she didn't really want to deal with the rest of the world, Hermione took herself to the sofa and laid down, closing her eyes against the pain. She was vaguely aware of George coming out of his bedroom but couldn't summon the energy to engage with him.

"Owwww!" A couple of minutes later, Hermione wasn't pleased at all when Fred launched himself to land right on top of her, wanting to surprise her with a sexy cuddle. In pain and feeling a bit annoyed, she tried to push him off, but he weighed a fair bit more than Hermione did, and she had allowed her wand to drop from her fingers onto the carpet when she had lain down.

"For fuck sake, Freddie!" George marched across the flat's living room to take control of the situation. Raising his own wand, George quickly levitated Fred off Hermione and stood him upright.

"Oi!" said Fred, not at all sure he liked the way in which George was now scooping Hermione into his lap and adding a heating charm to a small cushion before placing it on her tummy and summoning a patchwork throw to cover them both.

"Is that better love?" he asked her, and Hermione nodded her agreement and spoke a quiet thank you into his shoulder.

George looked at his brother and spoke quietly. "Honestly, Fred! I know you're not really experienced in the ways of women, but even you should know better than to jump on a witch who spends fifteen minutes in the loo before flushing it twice and then laying herself on the sofa!"

Fred looked chastised. "I'm sorry, love," he mumbled. "I really didn't think. I will pay more attention in future, I promise… I felt you focusing on that area through the bond and I thought you were turned on … and you're not, are you? You're in pain." He looked crestfallen as he sunk onto the other end of the sofa. "I'm so sorry..."

George turned back to Hermione. "You'll have to forgive him, love. He's never had a proper girlfriend before. Been mooning after this Granger woman for years, so he's not yet properly trained in all of the boyfriend arts."

Hermione smiled a bit at that. She wasn't really cross with him; just sore.

"I feel really bad, love." Fred's eyes were sad as he reached for her hand.

Hermione gave it a squeeze. "It's OK, Fred. I just wasn't expecting it, and my tummy hurts quite a bit."

Fred nodded. "I get it now." He reached out his other arm as well. "Can I be the one to cuddle you now, or are you leaving me for Georgie?"

"Never," she said, trying to sit up more so that she could crawl over to Fred. But George was in full knight-in-shining-armour mode and wasn't going to allow that. Carefully, he took her weight in his arms and lifted her across to Fred, placing her gently in his brother's lap, ensuring she had the heated cushion and tucking her back under the blanket.

She pulled a face that neither of the men could quite read. "I'm not a child, you know!"

"We know," they said in unison as she snuggled further into Fred.

"But you deserve to be looked after today," George added. "So cuddle Freddie and tell me what you'd like for breakfast. I'm at your service. Pancakes, bacon sarnie, omelette, full English? I stocked the fridge before you came back."

Hermione thought about it for a moment. "A bacon sandwich would be lovely, thank you. With some lettuce and mayonnaise, if that's possible?"

George bowed to her and then looked directly at Fred, pointing at his brother. "OK, so here's what I know about witches and their periods. It feels like being kicked in the nuts, but it lasts for much longer." Fred winced, and snuggled Hermione a bit more tightly as George continued. "Be extra nice; ask your witch what would help, and then do it without argument even if you don't understand why she wants it. And if she doesn't know what she wants then give her lots of stroking, be calm, run baths, don't argue, especially don't make any 'time of the month' comments – because they are, to quote Ms Johnson, 'inappropriate and offensive' – and always offer to make hot chocolate. It's essential." He looked back at Hermione. "Bacon butty with leaves and mayo. Back in a few minutes, love."

"He's very well educated," Hermione whispered into Fred's ear. "I'm impressed with Angelina."

With the heating charm taking the edge off the pain, Hermione was able to explain to Fred how she felt and what she needed. "I usually only have cramps for the first day or so, but they can get really bad. And your mum always has pain potion for Ginny and I in the loo at The Burrow, but I forgot to ask on Friday if I could bring some with me … I just didn't think, with everything going on."

"Well that's not a problem then; either George or I can pop through and grab some. Is it urgent?"

"I am quite sore," Hermione confessed.

"Right, well do you want to wait here for George and I'll nip to mum's really quickly?" Fred still felt guilty and was glad to have something helpful to do. So when Hermione said that that would be great, he got up, tossed green powder into the fire and disappeared on his mission. Four minutes later, the fire roared again and he was back with a small brown bottle in one hand and a sausage on a fork in the other. Popping himself on the arm of the sofa, he passed the bottle to Hermione and then offered her a bite of his sausage. Laughing, she shook her head.

"I'll wait for my bacon sarnie, thanks. Was your mum OK with that?"

"Of course, love, though she says you're not excused from dinner tonight."

"I'll be good for that, I'm sure. A few hours on the sofa and I'll be fine. Feel free to go out or down to the shop or whatever you want; I'll be OK."

Before Fred could reply, the floo flared up once more and, this time, Ginny stepped through in her pyjamas just as George came out of the kitchen with a plate of bacon sandwiches in each hand.

"Oh brilliant, thanks George," said Ginny, as she took them both from him, correctly assessing that the one with salad was for Hermione and placing the other one on her own lap once she had sat on the sofa next to her friend. Lifting the edge of the throw, she made sure Hermione was comfortable before covering her own legs and tucking in to her second breakfast. George was nonplussed. The other plate of sandwiches had been for Fred, but he simply turned around and went back into the kitchen to make more.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Spill, then!"

Hermione shifted slightly in order to get more comfortable on the sofa before she turned back to the grinning redheaded woman beside her. Ginny had produced a bar of chocolate from her robes almost as soon as Fred and George had disappeared back to The Burrow to follow Hermione's suggestion that they get some flying time in together while she and their sister caught up. Ginny broke the bar into chunks for ease of snacking as Hermione answered.

"Oh, it was amazing, Ginny…" she trailed off, thinking of their honeymoon she had shared with her man. They had now been living at the flat for two days and, tummy cramps aside, she was still floating on a cloud of Fred-induced bliss.

"The cove? The sex? The bond completion?"

"All of it." Hermione sighed. "I never thought of myself as a romantic, and I'm still not sure that's an accurate description, but it was blissful … probably the most relaxing few days I've ever experienced."

"Wow. So you're happy with your decision?"

"Absolutely. It still seems like a dream. I can't believe that I've ended up with this wonderful man who I feel like I've loved forever and who treats me so well…"

"Well who knew?! That one of the terrible twins would end up being married to a prefect, and be so good at making you happy!"

Hermione's eyes glittered with laughter. "It's fab, isn't it?!"

"Totally. Not least because you're finally my sister now." She reached out her hand and Hermione took it, giving Ginny's a squeeze.

"We saw Kingsley at the restaurant last week, did Harry tell you?" Hermione wanted to ask Ginny about her feelings about the marriage law and the question of her agreeing to a public wedding but wasn't entirely sure where to begin.

"You're wondering whether we're signing up to his plan?"

"Something like that," Hermione nodded.

Ginny pulled a face. "I'm mostly OK with it." She tipped her head from one side to the other, contemplating her feelings before concluding. "Getting used to the idea."

"I wondered if you might be." She popped a piece of chocolate into her mouth and savoured it for a moment before continuing. "Fred seemed to think you'd be really up for the big public wedding thing, but I wasn't so sure."

"I love the idea of a big wedding," Ginny spoke slowly. "Though after yours and Fred's – which was just gorgeous – I can see the appeal of something smaller, too. I'm a bit unsure about it being so publicly big, though, and what that might mean."

"Because of the lack of privacy?"

"Yeah. Yours was so intimate and lovely…"

"Gin, don't sign up to anything you don't want … you're only going to do this once!"

Ginny nodded. "It's OK, 'Mione. Thing is, I also understand the value of it and what it stands for. And it feels like it's the last bit of the battle, if that doesn't sound too weird."

Hermione nodded in agreement. "I know just what you mean. Fred and I lay in bed talking about it – what he was asking of us – after we got back from the restaurant, and that's how we feel too."

"Well I've told Kingsley that we'll do it, as long as it's on my terms. I've said I want total control for Harry and I on the planning, a completely private rehearsal dinner and the photographers can only stay til an hour after the evening ball begins. Other things to be negotiated. And absolute secrecy on the honeymoon; I do not need them turning up at that!"

"That sounds very fair … you're sure you don't just want to elope though?!"

Ginny shook her head, laughing. "I need to woman up and accept that I'm marrying The Boy Who Lived, and that decision isn't going to be compatible with a totally quiet life. But more important is the fact that, the way Kingsley tells it, we have a chance to use our happy day to help avoid the marriage law. And given how it could have affected you, how can I say no?"

Hermione opened her mouth as if to debate the issue, but Ginny protested, both verbally and with a hand on her friend's arm. "You know I'm not that kind of person, 'Mione, any more than you are. I don't imagine you're a hundred per cent happy with the idea of you and Freddie being the poster couple, but I know you've said yes. Sometimes there are bigger things at stake."

"Yeah," Hermione knew exactly what she meant.

"And don't think I won't have a bloody marvellous time spending Ministry money on dresses and trying thirty-seven different kinds of cake! Mum will enjoy it no end as well, and she deserves that. No, I am going to put my heart and soul into doing it this way and we'll have a wonderful time."

"I'm so proud of you, Gin…"

The younger witch smiled. "Does that mean you'd like to be my bridesmaid then? Or matron of honour, or whatever it's called when you're already married?"

"I'd love to. As long as you know I'm not into all the planning and frilliness."

"Ha!" laughed Ginny. "That's why I have Mum; you just need to turn up, walk up and down the aisle and tell me where to get that bubbly stuff for my hen party!"

"Well that's easy, though the prosecco shopping was George and Charlie, I think! Have you picked a date yet?"

"No. At first, Kings was all for wanting to do it right away. We went to have lunch with him the day after you met him, I think, and he was talking about the end of August."

"Gods…"

"Exactly. He's clearly never planned a wedding before! Well, I know we did yours overnight, but there was a bit of a scale difference. And Harry pointed out that it might be even better to maximise publicity if we had a longer planning time. More time for the press to speculate about the dress, for us to carefully release snippets of information and all that. Kingsley went for that idea in a big way, and we don't have an exact date agreed, but Harry and I have promised to make a decision soon."

As Ginny spoke, the floo roared, and Fred stepped out of it in his old quidditch robes.

Hermione's breath caught. She had forgotten how good he looked in those. Ginny didn't miss her reaction, and caught her friend's eye with a grin before turning her head away so that her brother wouldn't see her face.

"Alright Freddie?" Ginny asked.

"I am fabulous, Gin. In every sense of the word. Just came through to do this," and he walked to the sofa and bent down to apply a soft kiss to Hermione's lips as he knelt on the carpet in front of her. "Just realised it's been exactly a week since I bonded with you, love … wanted to tell you that this has been the happiest week of my life. I love you, Hermione Granger-Weasley."

Hermione moved her right hand to his face and caressed his cheek, which was ruddy from flying. "I love you too, Fred Granger-Weasley." She leaned in for another kiss.

"Do I need to go back through and leave you to it?" Ginny teased from beside them.

"Nope, Fred knows we're only kissing and cuddling today," Hermione smiled.

Fred sat between the two women, putting an arm around each of them. "That was so fun! Thanks for being OK with me having Georgie time!"

Before Hermione could reply, Ginny had bounced away from her brother. "Oh Fred!" she exclaimed. "You really smell. Go and shower now, please!"

Fred laughed, raising both of his hands in the air. "OK, I know when I'm not wanted." He leaned forward to kiss Hermione one more time, and then stood.

As he disappeared towards the bathroom, Ginny stood. "I'd better go, anyway," she told her friend. "I promised Harry we'd go for a walk before we go over to mum's tonight. We've not had much alone time together lately, and that's going to be an ongoing issue with all this wedding stuff."

"Let me know if it becomes an issue and I can help, Gin. Even if you just need to come over to hide away from the madness."

"I will, thank you. What are you and Fred going to do this afternoon?"

Hermione waved her hand towards the still wrapped gifts and cards. "Unwrap and enjoy presents and write some thank you letters, I think. I needed to go to the owlery tomorrow anyway, as I want to write to Charlie, so that'll give me something to do."

"Tell him hi from me? And feel free to fill him in on our bit of the marriage law gossip; He's always complaining about being the last to know anything!"

"I will. Thanks for coming over!"

After Ginny had disappeared in a blaze of flames, Hermione decided she felt comfy enough to make a tray of tea and biscuits, which she then brought back to the living room in readiness for Fred's return. They then enjoyed a happy hour of opening presents and cards, giggling together at the differences in their approach. Fred was keen to get into each new card or gift as soon as possible and then toss the used wrapping paper into the air so he could blast it into flames with his wand and then vanish it before it hit the carpet. Hermione, on the other hand, was a much neater gift opener. She wanted to go more slowly and ensure that she was carefully cataloguing who had sent what, in readiness for their writing of thank you letters and cards. They enjoyed playfully bantering about their different approaches, but Hermione at least achieved the creation of her list. "I know you and George need to get back into things at the shop," she told him. "So if you'd like, then I'll write the cards and you can just add your name to them when I'm done?"

"That would be brill, love. As long as you're sure? I don't want to saddle you with everything domestic, but we really do need to get our heads around restocking and building things up again. It's still quiet for now, because it's summer, but we're trying to get ahead for the back to school rush and then Samhain and Guy Fawkes and Christmas seem to come one after the other!"

"I know," Hermione patted his arm. "I'm OK with it, and I want to support you to be able to get on with things at the shop, Fred. Every day is a day off for me at the moment, so it's kind of nice to have something to do! And I like writing and organising things."

Fred leaned in for a kiss. "Tell me what you usually like to do on your days off, love?"

Hermione looked up at Fred and shook her head in wonder. "It's amazing, isn't it?"

"What's that?" Leaning forward, he nuzzled her neck and gently sucked her skin before licking it better.

Hermione leaned back slightly as she spoke, allowing him better access to her skin. "Well we're married and bonded forever and even though I've known you for years there's so much that we still have to learn about each other." She wound her fingers into his hair as he continued to nip at her. "You didn't know how much I hated baked beans til after we were married, and I never knew that you and George had an actual bond that affected you so much. And … oh that feels good..."

A grin crossed Fred's face. He was never going to get tired of turning Hermione on and feeling her response through their bond, but for now he really was keen to hear about her hopes and plans and he had promised not to push for more than a kiss and a cuddle today, so he ceased his ministrations and sat up. "Go on," he encouraged her.

"Well… I appreciate that you probably won't agree, but my idea of a great day off at the moment would be pretty much what we were doing on our honeymoon … some time to read a book, some time with my cross stitch, a few cups of tea, a nice supper, a couple of glasses of wine and then an early night with you."

"Actually, that sounds like a lovely day."

"Really?" Hermione looked deeply into Fred's eyes, trying to discern whether he was teasing.

"Yes, really," he told her, hugging her to him more tightly and tucking her head under his chin. "The difference between us is that I'd do that for a few days and really enjoy it, like we did on our honeymoon, but then one day I would get up and I'd need to run around or have a fly and see people or invent something or go out somewhere new. I need action and novelty. Whereas I imagine you could manage longer without that?"

She considered the question. "After everything that's happened over the last year or so, I have been enjoying having some slow days," she admitted, "although –" she broke off and played with the hem of the Weird Sisters tee shirt that Fred had put on after his shower.

"Although what?"

"Well … it's not that I wasn't enjoying the last few weeks before we heard about the marriage law, when I was just at your mum and dad's not having to do anything, but even before that Saturday morning I was starting to feel myself getting a bit itchy too, you know, to do something … to think about a career. And obviously the excitement of the last week has made me put that thought aside, but I've noticed it starting to come back again once we're back to reality."

Fred nodded. "I don't think many people can sit around and truly do nothing for any length of time. It's important to have a purpose."

"Exactly. And I now need to figure out what mine is. At least for now. I don't expect to do the same thing forever, but it would be nice to figure out what's next."

"It'll come." Fred's voice was reassuring, and his hands stroked Hermione. "Just give it time." He kissed her temple. "And in the meantime, you can hang out here or at The Burrow or come down to the shop more like you did yesterday. I'll teach you how to make canary creams?" He watched her face, not entirely sure whether she would think that a fun activity or a misuse of her brain, but he was pleased to see that she smiled.

"That sounds like fun," Hermione told him with a squeeze of his hand. "I might just do that once I've written all the cards! I want to catch up with some people this week as well though, and I'd really like to spend some time on the garden, and I have another project I want to work on too."

"Really? What's that, love?"

She kissed his lips before answering. "I'm going to try and find the woman of Charlie's dreams."


	28. The first week as a newly bonded witch

Hermione's first full week enjoying life as a married witch in the wizarding world was satisfyingly busy and, on the whole, very fulfilling, with a couple of minor glitches.

Sunday dinner at The Burrow had been a delight. Hermione had told Fred that she wanted to go early; there were so many Weasleys to thank for the parts they played in making their wedding go so well, and she wanted to spend time with each of them. But that didn't go quite as planned. Within minutes of her arrival, she had been enlisted by Arthur who claimed that he needed help wiring a muggle plug, but who really seemed to just want some company in his shed over a cup of tea. Hermione felt a bit frustrated at not being able to use her time as she had wanted, but she caught herself and realised that Arthur had done as much to help them as anyone and yet was often the last person to ask for anything. So, with a deep breath, she followed him to the shed, settled into her appointed armchair, summoned a butterbeer from the fridge and let Arthur chat to her about his work and ask questions about the honeymoon while he tinkered with wires.

She was ready to move on when Bill arrived in the shed, though. With a grin and a wink, he gave her a hug and told her that Fleur would love to see her in the house. "Besides, Dad," he announced as he sat in his own armchair, "we can't have her drinking all the beer!" Hermione was touched at being able to witness the relationship between Arthur and his eldest son, and she gave Bill a wave before having second thoughts and popping her head back around the door.

"Bill, what's the best way of contacting Charlie? He said to owl, but is he generally good at replying?"

"He will be if it's you and if you're doing what I think you're doing," Bill answered cryptically. When Hermione raised her eyebrows, he continued in a low voice. "He told me in the pub one evening last Christmas. I was taking the piss about mum getting on to him about his single status. He'd had an awful journey and had downed three firewhiskies straight off, so he spilled the truth without thinking. I'm almost as ignorant as he is about muggle communications, but if there's anything I can do, just say."

"I will," she said. "Thanks, Bill. It'll all be down to what I can do with the little information he has. Fingers crossed…" Bill looked confused, and she laughed. "It's a muggle saying, don't worry." She gave both of the men a wave through the dusty window as she crossed the garden to the house.

As other family members arrived, Hermione handed out all of her and Fred's thank you cards, which also doubled up as invitations to their first pizza night in the roof garden of the flat. "We want to do something nice to say thank you to everyone for giving us a spectacular Weasley wedding," Fred explained, as everyone had finally gathered around the table. "So we're inviting you all over in a couple of weeks for muggle pizza and drinks."

Harry and Ron were particularly excited about this turn of events. Harry had never been allowed to try pizza at the Dursleys', although Dudley had often enjoyed a large one all to himself, and Ron had eaten a slice once and loved it but didn't know how to order it for himself. Hermione was keen to be able to do something for her adoptive family that was, at least to them, a bit out of the ordinary. She still missed her own parents though and, now that the craziness of planning her fast marriage was in the past, she found her thoughts turning more and more to her birth family.

The Sunday roast was as tasty as ever and the only slight downside was the result of George and Fred's unannounced testing of a new product. They had a tendency to take something along to test on an unsuspecting subject over dinner every now and again, but Molly had become tired of having her meals tampered with. Bill's curse breaking training had been enlisted – again – and put to use on an undetectable deflecting charm which he had placed over the entire table. It meant that any charm added to food by someone sitting at the table would bounce back and affect those who had brought it instead of the intended recipient. Unfortunately for Hermione, there was no provision to protect an innocent party who might be wedged firmly in between the perpetrators and so, like Fred and George, she spent the following twenty-four hours with a voice which varied in pitch with every sentence that she spoke.

Molly gave the three of them a care package as they left The Burrow. She passed the freezer bag to George, telling them, "it's meals for the week, and there's easily enough for four if Angelina wants to join you."

She received a loud kiss on the cheek from Hermione – who was choosing not to speak more than necessary – and then a sandwich-style hug from her two tallest sons in response. By contrast, they were happy to squeak and bellow as a demonstration of their new 'throat bloat' sweets. "Get away with you," Molly joked, swatting at them each in turn, but it was clear to see how much she enjoyed their attention.

When Monday morning dawned, Hermione's goal for the day was to owl the rest of the thank you letters to their friends as well as writing to Charlie. Having not made it to her coffee shop on the Sunday, she took herself to Diagon Alley through the twins' shop – wordlessly, as her voice still wasn't back to normal and she refused to allow them to turn her into a product demonstration – and spent a pleasant hour or so trying hazlenut flavoured coffee and writing to her brother-in-law.

Sipping her drink, Hermione decided to give Charlie a few details of the honeymoon but, wary that someone else might pick up and read her letter, told him that he would have to be satisfied with knowing that she had taken his advice and would tell him more only when she could do so in person and in private. She then went on to describe the cove, the situation with the Ministry and Kingsley's plan and, finally, her plan to begin trying to track down Lauren over the coming days. 'I want to double check that you're happy for me to go ahead with my search?' she wrote. 'And if there's anything you'd rather I didn't say or tell her if I do manage to get in touch, then write back and tell me now. I won't do anything til I hear back from you, because I want to make sure that I only do what you want me to.'

Charlie wrote back the following day, his letter arriving as she was taking a bath. Hermione had quickly figured out that the best way of maximising morning harmony in the flat was to either get up a half hour earlier than Fred and George so that she could enjoy her shower first without holding them up or, if her plans didn't involve leaving the house in the morning, she found it was better to stay out of their way and in her pyjamas until they had gone downstairs to the shop. On those days, she would often enjoy a bath, and she was working her way through her own set of glittery bath products like the ones Molly had given her access to in the run-up to her wedding.

When she did lay in the bath or otherwise have time to herself, Hermione found herself adopting Fred and George's habit of coming up with new ideas for the shop. She had noted that, even though George had used a basket to hold the collection of Wonder Witch products that he gave to his mum for her birthday, it hadn't occurred to them to gather their popular glitterbubble products into gift-wrapped sets for customers to buy. Hermione was confident that, if they did this, they could easily increase their sales, especially as the holidays neared and people were looking for easy presents for family and friends.

She was contemplating different wrapping options and how muggle materials might be combined with magic when she heard a soft tapping on the open window. Deciding that she had bather for long enough, Hermione got out of the bath, wrapping herself in a large fluffy towel before heading to the living room. A small brown owl was carrying a longish letter from Charlie which was wrapped in a note, advising Hermione of the owl's name (Elena) and that she would really appreciate a good meal and an overnight rest before the long flight back to Romania, if Hermione could please arrange that.

"Of course we can, Elena," Hermione told her, opening the window wider. "Come in here; you can settle anywhere you like and I'll look for some treats. I'll leave the window open in case you want to fly to the roof garden though; there's a tree or two up there that you might enjoy."

Unsure about where the owl treats were kept, Hermione tried to use the bond to find out from Fred. She was fairly sure that she had done a decent job of visualising Elena but, try as she might, she couldn't interpret Fred's response.

After a few minutes of searching, the door from the shop to the flat opened slightly and she heard George's voice. "They're behind the charms encyclopaedia, to keep them away from the puffs, but if that's Elena then she already knows." He laughed as he emerged into the room and saw the little owl pecking at the shelf, clearly frustrated with the delay on Hermione's part.

"Sorry!" Hermione laughed, pulling the book out and shaking several treats into the palm of her hand so that Elena could take her pick. "Look, I'll put the rest here," she sprinkled them onto the shelf, "and then you can decide when you're hungry and what you'd like."

Because she accepted George's invitation to go downstairs and participate in canary cream making, it wasn't until the afternoon that Hermione settled into one of the garden benches, while Elena snoozed on a branch of a small apple tree. She had nipped to a muggle charity shop after her trip to the owlery the previous day to buy some coloured cushions and throws to brighten up the garden, arranging herself amongst them before opening Charlie's letter. Hermione eagerly devoured the contents, discovering more than she had previously known about the rhythm of his life in Romania and his love of the dragons. He had assured her that he had no secrets from Lauren – other than the obvious, which was his magical status – and that Hermione had carte blanche in her communications.

'Do whatever you think is best, sweets!' Charlie had written. 'Your judgement is better than mine here. If you need to tell her about my being a wizard (if that's allowed? I don't know the rules?), then that's fine by me, though I don't know how that would go. It's been such a long time and it's a crazy thing to tell someone who doesn't know about our world. I trust you, love. Whatever will be, will be. Without you, I have no chance of finding her, so even someone as bad at arithmancy as I am can see that anything you do gives me more chance than I have now. Feel free tell her how I feel if you think it'll help. I was nuts to not follow her when we said goodbye and I've thought of her every day since. I'd do anything to see her again, even just as friends. I know it's mushy, but it's the truth. Thanks, love. You're the best sister-in-law. But don't tell Fleur!'

The rest of Charlie's letter covered more practical issues and he also reminded Hermione that he had some leave due, adding that his boss was hassling him to take it. He asked whether he could come and stay with her and Fred and George for a few days whether or not she was successful in her search, explaining that he didn't always want to base himself at The Burrow now that he was older, and Hermione found herself liking that idea a lot.

Spurred on by his words, she decided to spend the next day visiting her parents' old house to pick up some of the muggle things that she would need in her search for Lauren. Then, she settled back onto the bench but had only rested her eyes for two minutes when Fred's head popped up from the flat below.

"You alright, love?"

Hermione flicked her sunglasses back down over her eyes. "I'm fine, sweetheart, thank you. Why?"

Fred's eyes widened and his heart swelled with love. Although he (and George and Charlie and most of the other Weasleys) used a range of terms of endearment when addressing Hermione, this was the first time that she had ever used one to address him – or, as far as he knew, anyone else. He knelt in front of her and gave her a soft kiss, weaving his long fingers into her hair. "Because you felt a bit melancholy through the bond, and we're not busy so I've come to check."

"I'm OK, Fred. Thank you. Charlie's letter made me think about lost love a bit, and it also made me realise I need to go to my mum and dad's house tomorrow to pick up my laptop for my research. And that made me feel sad, but I'm OK."

Fred prescribed and administered a cuddle, offering to take her back downstairs to keep her busy, but Hermione shook her head. "I'm OK. It's nearly five, anyway, and I thought I should get something out of your mum's care package for dinner?"

"Oh, good plan, love," he agreed. "We'll be up soon. It's such a nice afternoon and you're making it lovely up here; we could eat here if you like?"

Hermione agreed that that sounded like a great idea, and in the end George took his and Angelina's half of the shepherd's pie to Angelina's flat, leaving Fred and Hermione to spend a quiet evening together. Before he apparated off the roof, the younger twin reminded them that they didn't need to worry about dinner tomorrow. "It's date night!" he said gleefully. "How about if I tell Phil to expect us about six thirty?"

Hermione was so grateful for the timing of date night, which turned out to be the perfect end to a stressful and upsetting Wednesday. She had declined Fred's offer of company, conscious that he and George needed to be in the shop as much as possible, but when she reached her childhood home she wished she had accepted. It was painful to be there and to have no idea whether her parents would ever return. She took the opportunity to carry out some boring but useful muggle home maintenance tasks; dusting cobwebs, wiping worksurfaces and flushing the loos as well as gathering her laptop and the solar charger that she would need to run it in the magical world. She also picked up some strings of solar fairy lights and a few outside ornaments to brighten up the roof garden at the flat, knowing that her parents would be delighted to give them to her and the boys, but she was keen not to dwell there. Feeling lower than she had for a while, Hermione took herself to her usual hidden corner of the back garden to apparate back to the flat as soon as she could.

When she returned, she went down to the shop to collect extended hugs from both of the twins, who had been with her in spirit and sending love through their shared bond throughout her trip. "Come with me," said George, leading her to the backroom by the hand. "We've saved you some pygmy puffs who need feeding and brushing; that's guaranteed to cheer anyone up after a rubbish day!"

And it did. As did the evening that the four of them spend at Phil's restaurant. It wasn't quite as warm as it had been during the week of Fred and Hermione's honeymoon although, as Fred pointed out, "this IS Devon!" and it gave them an excuse to cuddle up as they chatted. Hermione and Angelina found themselves on an unofficial product consultation panel, as the boys had come up with several ideas which they wanted to run past their favourite witches. Most were good, although Hermione did veto a quill which allowed faster copying of homework. "It's not going to help anyone in the long run," she told the laughing men. She spent the rest of the evening trying to work out whether it was a serious suggestion or if they had thrown it in there just to wind her up. Her interpretation of the energies that she could feel through their bond pointed to it being the latter.

After the stress of her Wednesday trip, Thursday and Friday were relatively calm days for Hermione. Each morning, she would say goodbye to the boys as they headed to the shop and she embarked upon research. Charlie had given her a business card which contained Lauren's full name and work address, but Hermione had quickly confirmed her suspicion that the reason Charlie's friend couldn't track her down easily was because she had moved on from the university she was working at when they had met.

That didn't deter Hermione though. She was good at research, and she enjoyed it, too. Once or twice a day, she would pop down to the shop or into Diagon Alley for a proper break, and she was also managing to catch up with other aspects of her life. She had a lunch meeting with Kingsley, in which he explained that the Wizengamot had agreed to his new plan in principle and he felt very confident but, as was normal for the Wizengamot, nothing was going to happen overnight. They agreed to meet again the following week so that he could update Hermione again. And on Thursday evening, in a further effort to cheer herself up, she took Fred and George on a surprise trip into muggle London to see a film. She made them put their wands into her handbag before they approached the cinema and was very glad she had done so when she saw how they reacted to the events on the screen, but they loved the experience and begged to make it a regular event.

So by five o'clock on Friday evening, Hermione Granger-Weasley was feeling very satisfied. She was fully unpacked and her laundry was up to date. (Fred's wasn't. She had cheerfully taken Angelina's advice on that one!) She had strung fairy lights, planted herbs and generally made a great start on turning the roof garden into a cosy outdoor space that they could all enjoy. Fred had popped up to the flat earlier with a bag of fresh groceries and made a salad which they were going to have with a lasagne that Molly had sent. George had agreed to be in charge of setting the table and putting the food in the oven, so she could relax and enjoy doing a bit of cross stitching in the early evening sun.

Best of all, Hermione was ninety-nine point five per cent sure that she had tracked down Charlie's Lauren and was now in possession of her current email address.


	29. Dear Lauren

Hermione clicked the 'new email' button and carefully typed the unfamiliar address. She had spent quite some time wondering what to say in her first approach to the woman she so desperately wanted to meet, and had decided that something polite, friendly and to the point was probably best.

"Dear Lauren," she typed, speaking out loud as she did. "Or dear Dr Bennett? No, Dear Lauren, I think. From the way Charlie talks about her, she's not that formal. Right, Dear Lauren…"

"You don't know me, but my second favourite brother-in-law really loves you…" said her husband in an impersonation of her voice as he walked out of the bathroom, running his fingers through his damp hair to arrange it the way he wanted before he used a drying charm.

"Fred!" she reprimanded.

"What?" he asked innocently. "It's true!"

"Which bit?" Hermione tipped her head to one side. "Because I don't remember ranking your brothers…"

"Ah! So he does really love her then? You didn't challenge that!" Fred looked pleased with himself.

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "That's for him to say, not me. And I wouldn't have told you about it if I thought you would tease him."

"Seriously?" Her husband looked surprised and extended his right hand towards her. "Hi. I'm Fred Granger-Weasley. Teasing is my middle name."

Hermione snorted and ignored the proffered hand.

"Well Fred Teasing Granger-Weasley, why don't you make yourself useful and put the kettle on while I decide what to write next? Or put some clothes on, though I have to say I quite like you in that..."

"Just be your usual lovely direct self," Fred called over his shoulder as he headed toward the kitchen.

Hermione watched him admiringly. He had left the shower with just a towel wrapped around his waist and it didn't leave much to her imagination. Since they had got together and got married (all within about 36 hours, so she was aware their relationship hadn't had a normal progression, whatever that might look like), they had made love almost every day, often into the night and sometimes again when they woke. Over the past few days, she had started to become more adventurous as well. No longer feeling that they needed to be in bed, Hermione was reaping the benefits of Fred's creative imagination when it came to lovemaking and also trying out some of Charlie's advice about taking the lead.

It had begun with her realising that she enjoyed the excitement of exploring other locations within the flat (when George wasn't around, of course) and, lately, she was getting turned on by joining Fred in making a list of other places in which they would like to surprise each other. She had also tried what Charlie had described as 'the bossy approach' once she and Fred were alone after their lasagne dinner the previous evening, and it couldn't have gone better. The bond between them was strong, and it was at its peak. But bond or no bond, Hermione didn't think she would ever grow tired of being with Fred in that way. Especially when he looked that good straight out of the shower.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts and went back to tapping away on the keyboard, pausing now and again to consider her next sentence. Hermione's mini laptop was her one big muggle indulgence. Unless you counted good dark chocolate, which she didn't. Since discovering solar chargers, Hermione had been delighted at how simple it was to keep a metaphorical foot in the muggle world. Her clever little machine meant that she could learn, read and play without having to rely on electricity or other aspects of non-magical life that weren't easily available in Diagon Alley, and she was glad that she had collected it for her research.

"Hmmmm," Hermione addressed Graham, a pygmy puff who had been brought upstairs by Fred because his constant sneezing had made Fred wonder if he might have a bit of a cold but who was, if you asked George, just a bit emotionally needy. "I'm not going to mention Charlie til we meet. Well, if we meet. Don't want to freak her out if she's moved on and is with someone else, and it would be a bugger if she refused to meet me because she's sore with him or thinks he deliberately ignored her."

She had already found out what she could about Charlie's favourite lecturer from the woman's public profile and publications, and focused her email around their shared interests, thanking her lucky stars both that Lauren's new university had a profile page for each staff member and that she and Lauren had some common academic ground. "I don't want to be a weird stalker, Graham, but if there's a chance she feels the same way about Charlie, well we have to at least try…" The pygmy puff gazed adoringly at her in response and leaned his cheek towards Hermione's hand; happy to have the attention.

Ten minutes later, the email was written and she asked Fred to read it for her before she clicked the send button.

"It looks good to me, love," he said, when he had finished peering at the screen. Hermione wondered, not for the first time, whether he was going to need reading glasses soon, and made a mental note to ask Molly how that worked for witches and wizards. Harry had acquired his iconic glasses before he knew he was a wizard, so there might be magical means that Fred could use to improve his eyesight if he preferred, she thought.

"I just hope it works." She clicked the send button, closed the lid and pushed her chair back. "There. It's gone. And in the meantime, I am off. Have fun in the shop; I have a new area to research." She beamed at her husband and raised herself up on her toes to give him a long kiss goodbye.

"The Statute of Secrecy?" he asked when they broke apart.

"Yes." She continued to hold onto Fred's waist, not really wanting to part from him, but knowing he needed to relieve George downstairs so that his brother could go and watch Angelina's Saturday afternoon quidditch match. He was equally drawn to Hermione and he moved his right hand to cup her bottom and pull her pelvis towards his as she continued. Hermione's eyes grew wider. "By the end of today I am going to know all the ins and outs of the secrecy law and its implications for romance." She stroked Fred's back. "I'm planning ahead. If Lauren agrees to meet me and turns out to be single, then I need to know what I can tell her. Because if there's any way she's open to seeing Charlie and I can help them to be together, I'm going to do it."

"I don't doubt you will, love; you're a veritable Cupid. It's a good job I married you first; Charlie might have scooped you up in gratitude otherwise!" He nuzzled her neck in response to the stroking.

"No chance," said Hermione, leaning further into his touch. "You should have seen him, love. He's completely taken with this woman. Even though it was nearly three years ago. You know we've been thinking he was with a different witch every week?"

Fred murmured in agreement. Now he was licking her neck with catlike strokes of his tongue, and Hermione felt herself melting.

"Well I don't know for sure, but I don't think he's been with any. I think he's been pining for Lauren and just allowed people to carry on assuming he's still behaving as he did when he was younger. That's what Bill says, too."

"Why do you think he never told us before?" Fred asked, kissing up her jawline as he moved one of his hands higher and slid it up Hermione's side.

"I don't know. He seemed a bit overcome by the romance of our speedy wedding. Maybe that and the beer and the heat of the day just brought it all out." She sighed at Fred's touch. "I'm glad it did, though. And just imagine how much leverage we'll have with your mum if we can be instrumental in getting Charlie settled down."

"Godric, you're right, love" said Fred, pulling away slightly. "Fuck, I should stop this … if I carry you back to bed and end up being late, George will skin me."

"Here…" Hermione led him to a drawer which opened to reveal a stash of dark chocolate-covered cherry liqueurs, put there for just this sort of occasion. "Open wide…" He did, and Hermione fed him two chocolates and popped another couple into her own mouth. It helped dampen their ardour enough for Fred to pull back slightly and refocus on the conversation.

"Thanks, love. What's your first step then?"

Hermione took a deep breath, composing herself. "Actually, I'm going to floo up and meet Minerva at the school. She knows loads more about this than I do. It was her who came to see my parents and I when it was time for me to know I was a witch and find out about going to Hogwarts, and she's had her own run-ins with the secrecy law as well, you know?"

"Yeah, didn't she fall in love with a muggle or something?"

Hermione nodded. "And not that I want to drag that all up for her, but she said she didn't mind talking about it. I know it'll be different because Lauren's an adult, not a child, but I'm sure Minerva will be able to tell me what I need to know. And she knows Charlie well from his Gryffindor quidditch seeker and captain days, so that'll help her set me on the right path. Anyway, I'd better go, sweetheart, else I'll be late."

Reluctantly, Hermione let go of her husband after one more deep kiss and walked towards the flat's fireplace. She picked up her bag in one hand, took a handful of floo powder in the other and blew Fred a kiss before throwing it down and saying 'Headmistress' Office' in a clear voice.

"Give Minnie my love!" He winked as she disappeared.

When Hermione arrived in Minerva McGonagall's office, she stepped out of the fireplace to find her former professor chatting happily to a portrait of Albus Dumbledore.

"Hermione!" she greeted the younger witch with a friendly hug. "I was just telling the Headmaster here that you were on your way. He loved hearing about your wedding. Hasn't stopped chuckling since he heard you took on one of the Weasley twins."

Hermione smiled and waved to the portrait of her former headmaster, who gave her a friendly wave back. "Love," she told him from across the room. "It's a funny old thing!"

"Indeed it is, Ms Granger-Weasley," the portrait Dumbledore said. "Indeed it is."

"Now," said Minerva, indicating that Hermione should make herself comfortable in a chair and summoning a tray of tea from the sideboard. "How can I help you?"

An hour later, Hermione was both better and worse off. Better in that she was now an expert on the ins and outs of the Statute of Secrecy, but also rather despondent that the situation was a little more complex than she had hoped. And for 'complex', read, 'emotionally fraught with the one sensible option totally and utterly comprised of bureaucratic minutiae and wound around with a mile of needless red tape'.

In cases like Hermione's, the Headmistress had explained, it was simple and easy. A Hogwarts professor would travel to meet the family of a muggle-born witch or wizard and fully explain the situation. Nine times out of ten, this happened in the spring or summer before their first year at the school but, in cases where accidental magic was getting out of hand, flexibility and an earlier approach were entirely possible and it was in fact acceptable for any member of the wizarding community to offer information and support to parents of magical children. The UK was much more laid-back and open-minded than the US in this regard. Many muggle-born people came to know about the wizarding world through their sons and daughters, and the Statute allowed for this. There were mechanisms for muggles like Hermione's parents to access the wizarding world, for instance to shop in Diagon Alley or to take their offspring to get the Hogwarts Express.

Interesting as she found it, none of that helped Hermione though. When an adult witch or wizard wanted to date, live with or marry an adult non-magical person, things were a bit more complex. It wasn't that a witch or wizard couldn't tell a muggle about the wizarding world; it was that they had to be one hundred per cent certain that the information wouldn't go any further and that secrecy would be maintained. A witch or wizard who endangered the secrecy of the wizarding world could be punished, and that fact made confession a calculated risk.

Generally, Minerva explained, one would need to build a trusting relationship with someone before feeling able to tell them, but then the very act of dropping such an enormous information bombshell was almost guaranteed to shatter whatever trust that the couple had built up in their relationship to date. The fallout was often disastrous and more often than not involved emergency memory modification spells and the end of the relationship.

Because of this, a good many witches and wizards, Minerva told Hermione with a good deal of apologetic face-pulling, either decided to end the relationship or kept their real identity and nature a secret from their beloved unless and until they had a child together who turned out to be magical. But accidental magic showed up at different times for different children, and this path also often led to marital strife when the non-magical partner discovered not only that their other half had lied for years but that their child wasn't who they thought they were either. Not a great recipe for a marriage and Hermione couldn't see Charlie going for that. He was far too straightforward and honest.

A good few magical folk, Hermione learned, had decided to relinquish their wands and put magic behind them in order to maintain a relationship with a non-magical person, but it could be difficult to maintain contact with one's family in this situation. Apart from any other consideration, such as how on earth one would hide the magical movement of Molly's serving plates at the Weasley Sunday dinner from a muggle partner, many magical households were only accessible by floo or apparition. Neither of those was possible without a wand or access to a magical fireplace. This wasn't so much of a concern at The Burrow, which was accessible by road as long as you didn't mind driving for an hour through the narrow, hedge-lined Devon roads, but there were still a few potential pitfalls that would need to be considered. Hermione filed this knowledge away, thinking that perhaps this option might be possible under certain circumstances, especially as she now had the combined brains and considerable magical talents of the Weasley twins at her disposal as well as Ron and Harry's fast-developing auror expertise, but she knew that Charlie's family was the one thing he wouldn't give up.

The final option entailed petitioning the Wizengamot for a special licence, which would allow the magical partner to inform his or her partner of the situation in a more managed way and before the relationship had progressed too far. It still meant that the non-magical person had to deal with knowing that their boyfriend or girlfriend hadn't been entirely truthful up until that point, but Hermione figured it was more palatable than living a lie for months or years.

As far as Minerva knew, the information was shared with the non-magical person in a controlled environment by a pair of aurors who were trained to be able to assess how the non-magical person had taken the information. They would then decide whether they would be allowed to retain the information or whether they would need to be obliviated and never see the potential partner again. The upside was that the magical person wouldn't face a trial if things didn't go to plan. The downside was that no-one had successfully petitioned since 1927, and the current membership of the Wizengamot weren't known for their progressiveness, however hard Kingsley was working to change that.

Hermione sighed. She felt a pang of pain at the realisation that, had she lived through the war, Charlie's old school friend Tonks might have been able to use her auror training to step in and help with this. She would probably have loved getting involved in setting Charlie up with the woman of his dreams, too, and Hermione found herself wondering if Charlie had confided in Tonks before she died. She sighed again, causing Minerva to pat her arm and offer some reassurance that things would work out eventually. Hermione nodded and gave her old professor a smile. It wasn't that she had thought this was going to be easy, she explained. It's just that she had hoped that there might be at least one pathway which offered a straightforward and reasonable way forward for Charlie.

After thanking Minerva and catching her up on the news from Diagon Alley, Hermione flooed to Hogsmeade and spent a happy hour pottering around the shops and enjoying afternoon tea at a new café which had sprung up in the short weeks since the war ended. She used the café's fireplace to floo home to the flat and, happy to be back home again, sat on the sofa to remove her sandals.

"Where's Fred then?" she asked Graham, who had settled on her lap almost as soon as she had sat down. "I guess he must be down in the shop still. Well, I think I'll check my email."

Hermione had hoped to find a response from Lauren, but there was none. Rather than put her feet up and worry about the Charlie problem further, she decided to go down, help Fred close up the shop and make his evening by taking him to The Leaky Cauldron for fish and chips and a few butterbeers. In preparation, and because she so enjoyed playing with their bond, she thought hard about fish and chips and was rewarded by feeling him fill with delight.

A couple of seconds later, she felt George fill with delight as well. Hermione smiled to herself and put her sandals back on. She couldn't tell whether George was back in the shop or still at Angie's, but either way she figured it had to have been a short quidditch match for him to be able to contemplate dinner before the shop had even closed. She vowed, not for the first time that week, to put some time aside to work on how to better direct her communications just to Fred and not automatically 'cc' George in as well.

Hermione opened the door which led from the flat down to the shop. "OK then," she called as she descended the stairs. "I'm coming down to help close up and then we can go, but I've spent all my cash restocking our chocolate supply at Honeydukes so you two are paying!"


	30. An evening at the Cauldron

"So there isn't a good option?" Fred dipped another chip into his brown sauce before popping it into his mouth.

"Not that I can see right now."

Hermione preferred mayonnaise on her fish and chips, so they had asked for a pot of each when placing their order, plus some ketchup for when George joined them. The couple now sat at a picnic table in the beer garden of The Leaky Cauldron. There was a slight breeze, but the evening was warm and they were enjoying watching the wizarding world go by as they shared details of their day.

Fred's retelling had been quick; the shop was starting to become popular again now that they were clearing up and increasing their product lines after the war. He and George were aware that they needed to figure out how to manage the rebuild and regrowth of the business as well as deal with the day-to-day of their successful shop, and this was going to become more of an issue over the next few weeks. The quarter that began with the beginning of the new school year and ended with Christmas was always going to be their busiest, especially as it also included Samhain – or Hallowe'en, as it was known to some muggles – and November fifth.

"I have a proposition for you and George to think about, actually," Hermione told her husband. "I'd like to tell you both more about it together when he gets here, but it actually worked out well that he was at Angie's because I wanted to run it past you first to see what you think from the perspective of our marriage."

"OK, love." Fred speared another chip and swirled it in sauce, intrigued at the thought of what she was going to say.

"Well I'm loving doing some gardening and research, and aware that I need to set aside time for Kingsley's project, but I think I'm getting to the point where I'd like to work. Maybe part-time," Hermione told him. "But I don't want to work at the Ministry, and I'd be bored in a shop. I've thought about being a professor at Hogwarts, but they are mostly full time and I would have to live at the school a lot of the time and I don't want to live apart from you."

Fred balanced his knife on the edge of his plate so he could stroke her arm. "I wouldn't like that either, love. Not after waiting all those years for you to finally be mine…"

"You could live there too if I was a professor, I think, but I don't know whether you'd want to go back to living in the place where we spent our childhood and…?" She didn't want to mention that it was also the place where so many of their friends had died and where her husband had almost lost his own life.

But Fred knew what she meant and he slipped his arm fully around her as he thought for a moment. "I'm not completely opposed to it if it's something you want, love, but it's not really where I imagined we'd live. Is it what you want?"

She smiled at him. "No, so don't worry. I have a better idea in my head. And you might not like this, and I hope you'll tell me if that's the case, but it seems crazy not to offer my skills to you and George in the shop when there's so much to be done… So..."

"You're offering yourself as Chief Prank Tester?"

"Oh gods no!" She looked a little upset at that.

"Sorry love." Fred was blushing. He sometimes still had trouble knowing how far he could go and reading when he could and shouldn't tease Hermione. "I'm shutting up; I really want to hear what you're thinking." He busied himself with his food in an attempt to not speak until she had finished explaining.

"Well I keep hearing you and George talking about the back to school rush, Samhain, November 5th, the build up to Christmas period and how busy it'll be. I can feel that you both have concerns about how to keep on top of all the opportunities for holiday-related products while also doing the day-to-day stuff and restocking." Her connection with both men told her that their concerns were even greater than they were letting on.

Fred nodded. "I'm sure we'll get on top of it eventually, but neither of us are that great at that kind of thing. We're more go-with-the-flow sort of wizards. We try hard though. George ordered us a muggle whiteboard last week to put in our office to try and help us plan ahead."

"Well I was always really good at timetables and schedules and planning, Fred," she said, a bit shyly. "And I don't want to drive you nuts, but if you wanted … I could help with planning and timetabling and thinking ahead for holidays and stuff. I have some ideas about how we could make some of the glitterbubble products into gift-wrapped sets, which is something that muggles do a lot around the holidays, and I'd like to help think about more themed products and maybe I could also develop a system for you to know what we needed more of and when."

Fred stopped chewing and looked at Hermione with wide eyes. He loved this idea already and couldn't wait to hear what George thought. But, as Hermione continued, he realised that there was more that she wanted to say. He continued to eat his fish while he listened.

"I'd stay out of your way, of course, though when I had time I'd be happy to help you make products when you needed me to, and maybe even help think up some new ones. You and George and I could maybe have an informal meeting once a week and I could tell you where we were up to and say, for instance, we need to start thinking of Christmas ideas now, or it's time to restock skiving snackboxes in time for the new school term. You'd both still make all the decisions, of course … I would just help remind you and keep you on track and make sure we were ready for each new opportunity to sell different kinds of stuff. Do you think it would help, or would I just drive you mad?"

Fred's mouth was open. Luckily, he had swallowed his fish. "That's bloody brilliant, Hermione. That would solve our biggest problem! We always have people wanting to work the till and the shop floor, but we don't want to take on just anyone on the management side; there are so many secrets that we don't want to share with anyone we don't already know and trust."

On another level, he realised, it would give Hermione exactly what she needed: a pattern and structure to her life that she hadn't had since leaving Hogwarts and that she was clearly missing. He didn't need it in the same way that she did but, if this could help her, Fred was all for it.

"Evening, lovebirds," said George cheerfully, sitting down on the bench across from Fred.

"Hello George," Hermione smiled. George leaned forward to help himself to one of Fred's chips. Fred slapped his hand away so George redirected his aim at Hermione's plate instead. Hermione pushed her plate slightly towards him to allow him access and signalled Tom that George was ready for the plate of food that he was keeping warm behind the bar. Tom saluted her with his wand before sending the plate flying through the air to their table and George raised his hand in a wave of thanks before leaning over Fred to grab a fork and dive into his fish.

Fred couldn't wait for George to get his food organised and dived straight in. "Are you ready to hear something cool?"

George looked at Fred. "Aren't I always?" He waved to Tom once more as a butterbeer landed in front of him.

"My wife was just sharing the most brilliant idea with me. Are you ready to tell George, love?"

"Of course I will, if you're sure?"

Fred nodded exuberantly, and Hermione repeated what she had just said. George clearly liked the idea just as much as his brother had and listened intently. When Hermione had finished, the brothers shared a look with each other and then said, "Hermione, you're hired".

Hermione was so happy that she couldn't stop grinning.

"What about salary and stuff?" George took another bite of fish and watched Hermione carefully. "I'm not OK with it unless we can pay you properly."

Hermione shrugged. "Whatever you think. It's not like it really matters; Fred and I have a joint vault now anyway, and I know we're doing OK. It would just be nice to know I was contributing to the family business."

George nodded. "We'll figure it out so it's fair. Any special requests or conditions from your side?"

"Yes, I have one that's quite important to me. I want a desk and workspace that you two aren't allowed to put things on or do anything pranky to. Especially as I'm only offering myself part time. I need a space that's sacred and that I can trust you won't mess with. I want to be able to come in and find everything where I left it; it would be stressful for me if you interfered with what I was doing."

George suppressed a laugh. "I think we can stretch to that."

"And also I don't want to have to wear loud robes unless I'm actually helping in the store."

"That's fine, love." Fred covered his hand with her own as George grinned widely at him. "You can have special Director of Planning robes that you pick yourself. Go and see Madame Malkin and have her design some things you like and put them on the shop account."

"Thank you. I might even get some seasonal things as we go through the year, like reindeer antlers for Christmas and a muggle witch's outfit for Samhain!" She was quite excited now.

"Nice. How about a sexy Hogwarts uniform for the back-to-school season?" George got a hex in the form of a clip around where his left ear had once been for that one.

"Ignore him. He doesn't get laid the night before quidditch matches, so he's extra horny. I think that all sounds great, love. When would you like to start?" Fred asked her.

"I'd like to have a few more days to finish my research and see if I can get anywhere with finding Lauren. I'm planning to see Kings again next week to get a timeframe for our mission, so I don't know exactly, but definitely within the next week or two. That will give me the rest of July and the whole of August to get ready for the back to school stuff and line up everything for after."

"Brilliant. How's it going with Lauren?" That was George. Hermione wouldn't necessarily have chosen to tell him about Charlie's situation, but she wasn't yet fully able to control the link that she had with him via her and Fred's marriage bond. George had reassured her that he wouldn't take advantage while she learned to control her end of their line of communication and, so far, he had kept his word.

Hermione wrinkled her nose. "I went to see Minerva today, and it's not great news. Either he has to keep his magical nature a secret, decide whether he trusts her enough to tell her now but run the risk of getting into trouble if that doesn't go well, wait until they have a baby before telling her, or petition the Wizengamot for support in telling her sooner, but they haven't given permission since 1927."

"Why?" George asked.

Fred rolled his eyes. "Same old prejudice? Or maybe they're fearful of repercussions if it doesn't work out?"

Now it was Hermione's turn to pull a face. "I'm not sure, but I imagine it's something like that. It's a bit difficult though. How can you build a trusting relationship with someone when you can't tell them one of the most fundamental things about you? I don't think Charlie would want to be less than honest given what's already happened. And I think it's too big a risk."

"It's a tricky one," Fred agreed. "But maybe she won't even answer and then you don't have to fret about it."

"I hope she does though." Hermione looked wistful. "He's bonkers about her. I don't know if he'll ever feel that way about someone else. I mean, it's been nearly three years! It's because of that that I'm thinking the petitioning option might be the one to go for. If we could gather his memories for a pensieve and persuade the wizengamot that he's totally serious … well maybe that would go in his favour?"

"Maybe…" Fred was torn between being as supportive as he wanted to be and being as realistic as he felt he ought to be.

"Hey, I think there's more room for optimism than you think here, Freddie!"

Fred looked at his brother.

"Well, aren't you two the poster kids for their 'get married and make babies' campaign … surely you could chat Kings into something which would make things a bit easier for wizards and witches in Charlie's situation? Surely it would increase the number of babies even more if some of us married muggles; we could spread the magic around a bit more."

"Actually," said Hermione, looking between the two men, "that's a brilliant idea, George… I'll ask him about it when I meet him again. Let's just hope she replies to my email and isn't partnered off with someone else already."

"I think you should have hope," George told her, pushing his plate away. He stood up. "And besides, we need to celebrate your new appointment. I'm going to the bar for more butterbeer."

Hermione took the opportunity to snuggle up to Fred. "You sure you're OK with the job idea? Not going to get bored of seeing me all day?"

Fred let out a laugh. "Didn't we have this conversation on our honeymoon, love? I grew up at The Burrow with an identical twin who rarely left my side. What part of that makes you think I need a lot of time to myself?! No, it's you who'll need space. But Georgie and I are on the shop floor a lot, so you'll have the office to yourself for several hours a day. And you might want to work in the flat or on the roof sometimes if you need peace and quiet."

"That sounds good actually. I think I'll need that. I'm not sure I'd cope well with the noise of the shop all day."

"No, you can just think about it instead!" Fred leaned in to kiss her while they had a few moments to themselves. It didn't last for long, though.

"Hey, stop snogging, you're always down each other's bloody throats, you two!"

"Hello Ron," Hermione pulled away and smiled at her friend, who was preparing to sit down next to her. "Did you know George was at the bar?"

"Yeah, of course he did. It's like he's got some sort of detection spell which tells him when it's somebody else's round." George settled the tray of drinks that he was levitating onto the table. Hermione did a quick count of the glasses and then looked up with a smile.

"Who else is here?"

"Harry, Ginny and Luna," Ron said as he picked up his drink and held it up in a toast. "Cheers, all."

"Oooooooh, Luna…" Fred raised his eyebrows, catching George's eye as he squeezed Hermione's hand to get her attention as well.

"Looooooona," whispered George, in Ron's direction. He tipped his head back and made what he considered to be a sexy face. "Oh, Luna!" His voice was quiet and deep, and he was already being rewarded for his efforts by the blush that was creeping across Ron's face.

"Shut it," Ron glared at his brother. The others would be there soon, and his relationship with Luna was still in the early stages, so he did not need Fred and George trying to muck things up.

Hermione touched his arm. "Don't rise to it, Ron. They don't mean it; you just make it a bit easy sometimes. Tell them to piss off; that's what I do."

Ron glanced at Hermione in surprise, but they could all see that he was about to crack a smile. "You've changed, you have. I blame Fred!"

"Me too," said George.

"Hey!" Fred complained. "I've calmed down loads since I became a responsible married man!"

"Yeah, you probably have," said Ron, "But seeing how mad you were before you got married that's not saying much, is it?"

"Go Ron," whispered Hermione, looking at Fred.

"Hey!" Her husband put his arm around her. "Whose side are you on, anyway?"

"I didn't realise I had to choose a side," she teased him.

"Well you do." He scooped Hermione closer to his side, making room for Luna to sit next to Ron. "And it's mine. Hi, Luna!"

Hermione raised her eyebrows and then pecked his lips as Luna greeted them back and then gave Ron a beautiful smile as she settled on the bench in between them.

"See that's what I mean," said Ron. "The old 'Mione would have argued with him more. New married 'Mione's all soft and smooshy."

George laughed. "Not always! And it'll pass … especially when she starts her new job and gets to boss us both around!"

Their evening was filled with laughter, banter and catching up on news. Hermione and Ginny caught each others' eyes several times to have a Fred- and George-like conversation about the blooming relationship between Ron and Luna, and Ginny insisted on going to the loo with Luna so that she could quiz her on what was happening. It was as hard as ever to get a straight answer from the small blonde witch, though. She simply told Ginny that she and Ron were good friends and that their journey would take them where it was going to take them. Ginny gave up and returned to the table just as Hermione announced that she was ready to go home. Fred opened his mouth to tease her about having already spent more time that day checking her laptop than looking at him, but closed it again when he saw her warning look. He remembered just in time that he wasn't supposed to discuss 'project Lauren' with anyone except Hermione and George.

"Bit under the thumb there, Fred?" teased Ron, and Hermione was quick to tell Fred that he was welcome to stay out longer if he wanted to.

"But I don't want to, love," he told her, kissing her nose. "And for the record, I'm the happiest I've ever been in my life, Ronniekins, thanks for asking." Fred's answer elicited a groan from Ron and a chorus of appreciative noises from the more romantically inclined of their group.

Fred and Hermione walked slowly down Diagon Alley, hand in hand, enjoying the twilight. Upon arriving back at the flat, Fred wasted no time in pulling Hermione towards him and reminding her that George wasn't coming home that night, so they could test another lovemaking venue.

"Let me just check…" Hermione moved towards her computer as Fred teased her, but she was engrossed in the screen and didn't hear. A minute later, she spun to face him, her eyes wide with delight. "It's Lauren, Fred! She's replied!"


	31. Meeting Lauren (part 1)

When Lauren Bennett opened her front door and welcomed Hermione into a small bungalow, Hermione fell a little bit in love. It was probably inevitable, given how exited she had been to receive Lauren's email when she arrived home on the Saturday evening and how much she had been looking forward to meeting the woman who had captured Charlie's heart.

The days leading up to their meeting had been satisfyingly full. After arriving home on Saturday evening to find Lauren's email reply, Fred had given up on taking Hermione to bed immediately, instead pouring them each a glass of firewhisky to sip while they sat on the sofa and discussed the best next step. Hermione waited until the next morning before replying to Lauren's email. As before, she didn't mention Charlie. Hermione didn't want to lie, but she also didn't want to take the chance that Lauren would decline to meet her without knowing the full facts of the situation. As Hermione's email address was created long before she added the 'Weasley' to her name, there wasn't much chance that Lauren would connect her to Charlie from that and, after much internal deliberation, Hermione decided that it would be OK to wait and tell Lauren in person why she had sought to meet. In the meantime, Hermione focused her conversation on her interest in Lauren's work – which was genuine; Hermione was fascinated by the idea of studying different cultures – and asked Lauren if it might be possible to meet and talk face-to-face. Her time was very flexible, she said, and she was of course happy to travel to Lauren's office.

Full of anticipation and excitement, Hermione's next step was to concentrate hard on getting through the Weasley Sunday dinner – which she otherwise enjoyed – without having Molly or Ginny becoming suspicious. Both witches were highly observant and, Hermione knew, quick to notice when anyone was behaving unusually. Although, as George had pointed out in a low voice when he and Hermione had happened to be alone in the living room and he asked how she was doing, if Molly sensed Hermione's heightened emotion she would probably jump to the thought that Hermione was pregnant before she even considered the truth as an option. That, Hermione conceded, was an excellent point. "Just chill, lovely," he advised, reaching out to stroke her shoulder. "Freddie and I can feel your excitement through the bond, but no-one else has any idea. They're too busy watching Ron and Luna and wondering if they've done it yet!"

Hermione had laughed all the way back to the table, but it had helped her relax, and Fred gave his twin a grateful thumbs up when they sat down again. A few of their family members exchanged worried glances, wondering what the pair were up to, but the twins and Hermione just laughed, delighted to have put them off the scent in such a way.

As they left The Burrow, a bit earlier than usual, Fred had asked if he could side-along apparate them, and Hermione agreed, not entirely surprised to find herself in the Weasley's treehouse from which they had descended on their wedding day. "Two weeks today since I married you, love. Wanted to celebrate before we get home and you get engrossed in your pooter again…"

He took a collection of pieces of coloured cloth out of his pocket, tossing them into the air with one hand while drawing his wand with the other and transfiguring them into huge pillows as they fell onto the wooden floorboards. He took a step towards Hermione and she forgot all about everything except Fred for the next hour as they made love and chatted softly as the evening began to fall. He side-along apparated them home as well and Hermione was touched when he landed them beside her computer, giving her a quick kiss and telling her that he would make her some tea while she checked for another pooter owl from Lauren.

Hermione was just as delighted to find the second message from Lauren as she had been when she received the first one. Lauren had explained that she was mostly working remotely these days and, as it was the university summer holidays, she wouldn't be on campus again for a good few weeks. However, she wrote, she was happy to meet with students and colleagues at her home, and Hermione was welcome to come there if she would like to talk sooner. Lauren told Hermione the name of the village where she lived, gave details of the local bus route in case Hermione didn't drive and suggested two or three times when she would be free over the next few days.

Delighted, Hermione raced to the kitchen to tell Fred, who scooped her into a hug of happiness. The next morning, once he and George had gone down to the shop, she made short work of the planning; sourcing a map, plotting her journey, picking a date and time – two days away, on the Wednesday – and replying to Lauren. Before she could write to Charlie to give him an update, however, she heard a tapping on the window and found an owl from Kingsley asking when she and Fred might be able to come to the Ministry for a couple of hours for the photo shoot and interview that they had promised him.

Hermione felt a bit overwhelmed again and ran down to the shop. "What's up, love?" Fred asked when he saw her. Hermione gave him the letter to read and he leant against the counter as he did so. "It'll be OK," he reassured her with a hug. "Kings said it'll only take a couple of hours, and he'll arrange it around whatever commitments we already have."

"Yes, I suppose," Hermione replied. "I just feel I have a lot on this week, what with meeting Lauren, and not knowing how that will go. If it goes well, I'm thinking we might end up with Charlie here over the weekend, don't you think?"

"Oh, I hadn't thought of that, love."

"Your wife is definitely better working in the planning ahead department than you…" George quipped as he walked past, catching the drift of their conversation.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him as Fred pulled her into his arms. "And then I said I'd start at the shop after that!"

Fred administered a kiss. "Look, lovely, just tell Kings that we have a lot on this week and arrange something for next week instead. And it doesn't matter if you don't start in the shop as soon as you thought. It'll be great to have you here whenever you can manage, but I'd rather have a calm wife than a stressed timetable manager!"

Hermione relaxed against his chest, soaking up the waves of calm that both he and George were sending her through the bond. It amazed her that they could work in such a colourful, noisy environment and yet be more relaxed than she was in the quiet flat, but she had learned over the past couple of weeks that this was how it was. She was immensely grateful for the way in which the boys had figured out how to help her relax through the bond, and she smiled to herself at the thought that, when circumstances required, she might be able to use it to stimulate them into action in turn.

"It's also because I'm a bit worried about what will happen," she confessed to Fred. "I mean, if Lauren's with someone else, or isn't interested in meeting up with Charlie. If that happens, I don't want to send an owl; I would rather tell him in person. So I don't want to fill my time up in case I need to go to Romania, and I would have to make plans for that too."

Fred kissed her once more. "I think that would be the kindest thing to do, but it's easy enough to sort, love. We'll ask Dad to sort us out a portkey and you can either go to the reserve on your own or I'll come with you if you like. Dad won't mind; we'll just find him some tatty old muggle object to transform to butter him up a bit … he loves things like that old boot they made into a portkey when we went to the World Cup that year!"

Hermione laughed. "You won't mind if I go and get drunk with Charlie for a night or two?"

"Not in the slightest, but I'm an optimist, love, so I'm focusing on her being free, single and open to the Weasley charm." Fred grinned. "Let's cross that bridge if and when we come to it, as you muggle-borns say." He waggled his eyebrows and Hermione smiled.

When Hermione arrived back in the flat, she wrote a letter to Charlie, updating him on what was happening and promising to owl him again as soon as she had met with Lauren and had anything to tell him.

Two days later, as she looked out of the window of the muggle bus which was taking her to Lauren's end of the large village (which was surprisingly quiet given that they weren't that far out of Bristol), Hermione fervently hoped that a portkey wouldn't be needed.

The bus trip was an added bonus. Hermione had realised, as she considered her journey to Lauren's, that she couldn't exactly figure out a safe apparition point in an area that she had never visited, so she flooed from the flat to a well-known wizarding café on the outskirts of Bristol itself and then walked into town to get the bus. She found that she rather enjoyed revisiting her muggle transport roots and the short walk from the bus stop to Lauren's cottage and, only a few moments after she cheerily thanked the driver and stepped off the bus, Hermione found herself standing in front of the woman who Charlie loved.

Like Charlie, Lauren was a few years older than Hermione; probably in her late twenties, Hermione guessed, quickly computing how long it would take to do a muggle degree and doctorate and adding a bit of time for the lecturing experience which she knew Lauren had from her online CV. She looked totally different from how Hermione had expected, too. A good few inches shorter than Hermione, Lauren was plump with curly dark blonde hair cut into a chin-length bob.

But the things that really struck Hermione were the size of Lauren's smile, the warm, ebullient nature of her personality and the fact that she looked more like a witch than most of the witches that Hermione knew. Lauren wore a multi-coloured patchwork dress and seemed to have beads attached wherever she could fit them; some were strung around her neck and wrists, more hung from her ears and she even had a couple attached to her hair. Lauren looked like she would fit in perfectly at the counter of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes although Hermione realised that, with a PhD, an academic career and a string of publications to her name, that probably wasn't a career path that Lauren would be exploring anytime soon.

She could totally see why Charlie was so enamoured with Lauren. Her smile and her energy were infectious and made you want to never leave her side. Hermione now understood why Charlie had found it impossible to move on romantically, having spent a summer in this lovely woman's arms.

As Lauren ushered Hermione through the hallway and into a cosy kitchen, Hermione thought that, if Lauren's house was any indicator of her character, she and Hermione could very easily be friends. One wall was lined with a higgledy-piggledy assortment of bookshelves, stuffed to overflowing with books, and not one stick of furniture matched another. Instead, the chairs were covered in colourful throws and cushions and the walls sported a collection of home-sewn hangings. Hermione loved it.

"Did you make these?" asked Hermione, indicating the closest wall quilts.

"Mostly, yes," Lauren replied. "It's my evening entertainment … I'm not one for going out to the pub much these days. Glass of wine, book or sewing and maybe a good film, and I'm happy. Bit boring, I know." She laughed, her smile widening.

"Actually, it sounds perfect," Hermione smiled. "I could do with a few evenings like that myself. My life's been a bit crazy of late!"

Lauren looked slightly concerned at that. "Are you OK?" she asked. "You weren't specific about why you wanted to meet me, other than that you were interested in my research and would welcome the chance to chat. I assumed you were thinking of becoming a student, but is there something else that I can help you with, Hermione?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, I'm OK, thank you. I just meant, well I got married recently, and it was a great flurry of activity and I haven't had too many quiet evenings. I'm fine, thank you. Really."

"OK, good. Would you like some tea?" Lauren indicated that Hermione should sit at the kitchen table, and Hermione did so.

"That would be lovely; yes please."

"Great; a woman after my own heart. I'll put the kettle on."

Hermione took a few moments to admire the rest of Lauren's kitchen and fleetingly wondered if she could persuade Lauren to help her decorate the WWW flat and make it a bit more homely. Lauren's house reminded her a bit of The Burrow and she found herself wondering if and how Lauren would fit in at Charlie's childhood home. That was, if Hermione could ever find a way for them to be able to be together without their relationship being based on a pack of lies.

"I really love your house," Hermione told her, wondering how soon she should drop her information bombshell.

"Oh, thank you. Me too," Lauren replied, reaching into the cupboard for teabags. "I've been here about three years now, and it's been nice to make it my own. I'm not sure whether it's a long-term option at the moment though."

"Oh? Why's that, or shouldn't I ask?" Hermione didn't want to pry, but she was very keen to find out as soon as possible whether Lauren was seeing anyone. That could help her frame how to best start a conversation about Charlie. Hermione didn't often go into situations that were this unplanned, but there were too many variables to have come up with much of a strategy ahead of time. And, besides, it was nice to find something to talk about so quickly. Small talk didn't always come easily to Hermione, and she felt she ought to try to chat and make friends a bit before saying anything that might be too shocking.

Lauren had no qualms about opening up to anyone. "I'm working mostly from home now, so I don't have to live so close to the uni, for a start." She pulled a face that Hermione couldn't read. "And you'll probably think I'm mad if I say this, but if you're here because you're thinking of studying with me then it's better you know that sooner rather than later!" Lauren grinned as she continued to prepare the tea. "But a couple of strange things have happened recently, and I'm wondering if the place is haunted!" She glanced at Hermione, head tipped a bit to the side as she gauged the younger woman's reaction before deciding whether to continue. Raising a finger, Lauren continued. "However … I've been doing a lot of reading about mythology of late, so that's probably not helping…"

"Strange in what way?" Hermione asked politely.

Lauren looked at Hermione for a good few seconds, eyes narrowed slightly as if she was considering whether to share or not, and then said, "You really want to know?" She was still grinning, and she raised her eyebrows in a way that reminded Hermione of Fred and George, but there was also something under the surface that Hermione couldn't put her finger on. A concern that Lauren wasn't ready to share, perhaps.

"Try me," said Hermione, trying to sound nonchalant as she smiled back at her new friend. "Sometimes it's easier talking to a stranger. I'm very open-minded. I grew up in a house where strange things happened as well. Mostly around me, to be honest."

Hermione's mind had begun to race as she processed Lauren's words and her own thoughts. By strange things, could Lauren mean magic? Because if Lauren was a witch, then things could work out perfectly with her and Charlie. But she quickly – and with a bit of disappointment – dismissed that thought. Lauren's attire was likely the product of a love for colour and her extraverted nature, not the outward expression of magical blood.

Hermione chuckled to herself at the vividness of her imagination and reasoned it through in her head as Lauren continued to fetch things to make their tea. Many witches, Hermione rationalised, including herself, dressed far more conservatively than Lauren. And, appearances apart, if Lauren was a witch, she would have received a Hogwarts letter years ago, and they were near enough in age that Charlie would have already met her at school, so that was pretty unlikely. Any witch who was at Hogwarts at the same time as Charlie Weasley would have known Gryffindor's star quidditch seeker straight away, even years later.

Damn.

And even if Lauren had grown up abroad and gone to Beauxbatons, Ilvermorny, Durmstrang or another wizarding school, then she would still likely have known how close the spa she stayed at in Romania was to the dragon reserve, which was famous throughout the wizarding world due to the valuable nature of dragon parts. It wasn't exactly hard for witches and wizards to identify each other, either; they could generally sense other magical folk, especially if they were as physically close as Charlie and Lauren had been. No, Hermione realised; that really would be wishful thinking. All of the available evidence pointed to Lauren being a muggle.

Lauren finished pouring tea and passed a mug to Hermione. She held up a jar of honey, causing Hermione to shake her head as she murmured a thank you. Hermione sipped from her mug as Lauren sat down at the table, pointing to a mark high up on the kitchen wall.

"If that mark wasn't still there, I swear I would have thought I was dreaming. But last week, I was cooking dinner and a load of sparks made that mark on the wall, but it seemed like they came from behind me, out of nowhere, not from the cooker. Very weird." Lauren shook her head, still smiling.

"Wow," replied Hermione. "That must have been scary." The mark looked rather like the ones on the walls and ceiling of Fred and George's bedroom at The Burrow. Hermione smiled to herself and inwardly rolled her eyes at her own thought process; not only was she desperate to find Charlie a happy ending but she was so into Fred that she saw him in everything.

"It was a bit scary, to be honest," Lauren continued, although the smile didn't drop from her face. "I can't see how it was the oven, but it must have been; there's no other possible explanation." She shrugged and drank a bit of her own tea. "And then another day I'd left some stuff on the floor in the living room and when I went out and in again, in like thirty seconds," she indicated the clock on the wall to illustrate her words, "well things just seemed to have moved, and I can't for the life of me work out how. Like, I said, I'm probably just imagining things; I don't always sleep well when it's hot out…" Lauren trailed off.

Hermione looked concerned. "Are you on your own here?" She knew from her own recent experiences that fears and adversity were much better faced in company.

"I'm not married or anything, if that's what you mean?"

Hermione chose her words carefully. "I just … well I know we've only just met, but I don't like the thought of anyone being on their own, especially if odd things are happening. I've had a bit of a difficult time myself recently, in the months before I got married and … well I suppose I'm - " She trailed off and shrugged, smiling uncertainly, not really sure how to finish.

"I'm OK," Lauren smiled, reaching out to touch Hermione's arm. "But thank you. I'm not completely alone. There is a rather important man in my life," she smiled.

Hermione's heart sank. It was inevitable, she supposed, that a clever, confident and vivacious woman like Lauren would have a boyfriend, even if they weren't married. Her heart pounded at the shock of the news, and at the same time it ached for Charlie. Hermione knew that he would never pursue Lauren if she was with someone else; he was too honourable about things like that. But what to say to Lauren now to explain why she had come? Should she even mention Charlie? Oh gods, Hermione thought that she had thought this through as much as she could, but she now felt completely unprepared and wished that Fred or George were with her. They were so much better at dealing with the unexpected. Hermione fiddled with her mug and bit her lip as she tried desperately to think of what to say next. The twins felt her stress and sent reassurance down the bond.

"Don't be concerned," Lauren said, misreading the expression on Hermione's face. "I'm really OK about the house stuff, you know. It's a bit weird, but I'm old enough to live with a bit of mystery and uncertainty here and there, especially in my line of work!"

Before Hermione could respond to that, she heard a high-pitched squeal from one of the bedrooms.

"Uh oh," smiled Lauren, putting her mug on the table and moving her chair back. "No peace for the wicked!"

Puzzle pieces started to fall into place in Hermione's brain. "Lauren," she said slowly. "Do you have a child? Is that what you meant by an important man?"

Lauren smiled and nodded as she stood. "Yeah. I'll just get him if you don't mind. He's not stroppy, but he's always wide awake after his nap and he loves meeting new people…"

Hermione was glad of the extra time that Lauren took after calling out that she would be back in just a few minutes; it gave her some space to process her thoughts. Charlie hadn't said anything about Lauren being a mum. Did she have a child when she had visited Romania? Surely not; she had gone there for most of the summer and it would be unusual for a mother to leave a child for that long. Could Charlie really have forgotten to mention such an important fact or was this a more recent child? And if so, where did his dad feature in the equation?

Another thought froze Hermione in place. She was certain that Lauren wasn't a witch. But, although she didn't know much about it, it dawned on her that the strange occurrences that Lauren described could be the kind of accidental magic that wizarding babies and children produced without being able to control it. That could explain why the marks on the wall looked like those in the twins' bedroom. But if Lauren had a magical baby, then was he the result of a more recent relationship with a wizard, who might still be on the scene – oh gods, perhaps even someone they knew – or had Lauren become pregnant with Charlie's baby in the Romanian mountains?

Hermione's mind whirled as she processed the possibilities. If Lauren had already given birth to a magical child then there would be no reason not to tell her about the wizarding world and she and Charlie at least had half a chance. But, Hermione kept reminding herself, her son could be somebody else's baby. The father might be due home any minute. Lauren's sense of colour and flamboyant dress likely made her particularly attractive to wizards, and there were certainly enough of them in the south west, where Lauren lived. Statistically, Lauren had more chance of meeting a wizard than most women.

Or maybe the strange occurrences were unrelated, and Lauren's oven was on the blink. Maybe Hermione's imagination was creating imaginary links to fulfil her own wishes for Charlie to have a romance as happy as her own. As she sipped her tea in order to try to keep herself grounded in the present, Hermione's mind continued whirling with possibilities. But she didn't dare get her hopes up. All she could do was to wait until Lauren returned.


	32. Meeting Lauren (part 2)

By the time Lauren came back into the room, Hermione was a bit more composed, but still not completely prepared for the shock of seeing her carrying a chunky, smiling, redheaded toddler with the bluest eyes imaginable. There was no doubt that she was looking at a Weasley. Her jaw fell open and her heart soared for Charlie.

"This is Elliot, my son. Elliot, this is Hermione. She's come to have some tea with us."

Hermione smiled and said hello to the happy toddler before looking back at his mother. "This is your man?" she asked, still not completely sure whether there was a more recent boyfriend in the equation as well but feeling it would be rude to ask directly.

"My one and only." Lauren gave her son a big kiss on the cheek and he beamed in response, patting her face. "It's been just me and Elliot for a while now."

Hermione took a deep breath, her heart still pounding. "Lauren, I don't know how to begin, but I have something huge to tell you, and it will even explain the weird stuff that's been happening in your house, though I realise I've probably terrified you just by saying that."

Lauren did look a little worried.

"I know this will be a shock, Lauren but I promise everything will be OK. When I emailed you, I didn't give you my full name. I mean, my name IS Hermione Granger and I haven't yet changed my email address, but my full married name is Hermione Granger-Weasley."

Lauren's eyes flew open and her jaw dropped. "You're Charlie's wife?" She looked as though she might be sick and her son called a concerned, "mummy!" from her arms.

"Oh no, no, no…" Hermione said quickly, reaching out to reassure both Lauren and her little son. "I'm so sorry, Gods, I didn't think … that was … no. No. I'm married to Charlie's younger brother, Fred. Charlie isn't married." She shook her head. "Charlie is very, VERY single. He told me about you. He … he's wanted to contact you ever since you left Romania but he didn't know how to find you. I promised to try to help him find you, and that's why I got in touch. I'm so sorry, this must be such a shock, especially -" she indicated towards Elliot, who was happily playing with a set of wooden keys. "He's Charlie's, isn't he?"

Lauren nodded. "Hermione Granger-Weasley, meet Elliot Charles Bennett-Weasley." There was a long pause while Lauren collected her thoughts, and she sat Elliot and herself down on the sofa, stroking the toddler's soft red hair into some sort of order with her fingers while visibly taking deep breaths to calm herself. "So many times I wondered if I made the right decision about his name, but I couldn't deny him the only link I had to his dad." She looked up. "I'm sorry if I'm not making sense, I'm finding this a bit hard to process."

"Don't worry, you're fine," Hermione reassured her. The toddler turned and stared directly at Hermione, still a bit sleepy and not yet ready to chat. "Well, Elliot Charles," Hermione leaned in and offered her fingers to the tiny boy. "It's very nice to meet you. Your dad is going to faint when he hears about you. Or cry, more likely."

Lauren smiled wryly. "I doubt that. I don't know what Charlie's told you, but he had my contact details. And even if he lost my business card, I'm not hard to find online. Perks of being published and all." She looked wistful. "Not that we made any promises to each other; it was a holiday romance. He doesn't owe me anything." She hugged Elliot more closely. "But it would have been nice to meet for a drink and tell him he had a son." She shook her head. "I tried to find him once I realised that Elliot was on his way, but he's not even in the phone book!"

"Well, that's the thing," said Hermione. "It's a long story, but if you can bear with me and keep an open mind, I promise I'll explain it all, and you'll understand why he hasn't been in touch. Charlie's a good, good man, I promise. And he would love to reconnect with you, but circumstances haven't been on his side."

They went through three pots of tea that afternoon. Hermione tried to break the news slowly, but she couldn't really explain much at all without telling Lauren about the existence of a whole world that she had never previously imagined. Just as Professor McGonagall had had to do all those years earlier when visiting Hermione's parents to deliver her Hogwarts letter in person, Hermione used her own wand to prove the existence of magic, much to Elliot's delight as she levitated his beloved bunny from the beanbag to the sofa and back again, transfigured a saucer into a funny hat and then conjured stars and sparks for him with her wand. Once he had woken and had a few minutes to get used to Hermione, Elliot was chatty and friendly, reminding Hermione of the more extraverted Weasley siblings, and he seemed to embrace magic from the moment his new auntie stepped into his life.

Lauren took a bit more convincing, even though her academic openmindedness as well as her experience of Elliot's accidental magic over the past few weeks had helped pave the way for the revelations that Hermione was sharing. It was hard at first for her to accept that Hermione could tell her that Charlie was a wizard so easily when Charlie hadn't mentioned it at all, despite their increasing closeness over the weeks they had spent together.

"I know it seems nonsensical," Hermione explained. "But there are harsh punishments for anyone who spills the secrets of our world to non-magical people, so Charlie could have got in big trouble for telling you he was a wizard. To be honest, when I first got in touch with you I didn't think I would be able to tell you anywhere near as much as I have. I was just hoping you'd be open to meeting Charlie. I wouldn't have been able to say anything either if Elliot hadn't been Charlie's son and already displayed accidental magic. The fact that you have a magical child makes it legal for me to tell you anything about our world and help you in any way I can. You're a part of it now, through Elliot."

Still, it was a lot for Lauren to get her head around. "I just keep wondering if there's a secret camera in here, and I'm on some kind of TV wind-up show," Lauren said more than once. "Not that I can think of anyone who would do this to me, but is there a film crew in the bedroom or something?"

Hermione shook her head and sighed. "It must be so hard. What can I do? Do you want me to leave for a bit; give you some time to think?"

"Maybe … no … I don't know!" said Lauren. "I'm the kind of person who needs to process things out loud. It's helping to talk about it all, if you're OK with that? Are you in a rush to go?"

Hermione smiled. "Not at all. And listening is really the least I can do, after opening up this can of worms all over you."

That made Lauren laugh. "Does Charlie really want to see me? Maybe that would help too. Oh golly," Lauren stood and ran her fingers through her hair. "I need the loo. All that tea. Let me think. Sorry; I'm all over the place."

Hermione stood as well and held out her arms. "May I?" She leaned forward and gave Lauren a hug. "Take some time. I'll play with Elliot. Is it OK to use my wand and make stars for him to watch again?"

"Of course," laughed Lauren. "That's kind of helping me make sense of it, too. I still can't believe Charlie works with actual, real dragons. I mean, the tattoos are sexy as hell, but … real dragons?!"

Hermione laughed. "Wait til you see the tattoos without the freezing charm on them. They move…"

Lauren shook her head in disbelief as she walked to the bathroom. This really was all too much. She splashed some cold water on her face, wiped it off with a hand towel and then reached for her moisturiser. She had spent the first couple of weeks after her Romania trip berating herself for missing the company - and the touch - of her summer lover more than she could have imagined. She had no way of contacting him, because she had been oh-so-cool and casually handed him her business card as she snogged him goodbye and then walked away, leaving it to him to decide whether to get in touch on a future visit to the UK. So, upon returning home, Lauren decided to throw herself into the new academic year as a means of distraction. When autumn dawned with the realisation that she was pregnant by the red-headed man, Lauren's hormone-fuelled feelings oscillated between the grief of not being able to find Charlie and the delight of the gift of a new life. His baby.

After he arrived, born into a pool of warm water towards the end of a long, late May night, Elliot was a constant reminder of the happiest weeks of his mother's life, not least because of the blue eyes and flaming red hair which reminded her so much of Charlie's as he stood in the Romanian sun. Elliot tied them together, even if Charlie hadn't stayed in her life in person.

And right now? Time had passed and Lauren reflected that, if someone had asked her a few days ago, she would have said she wasn't sure how she felt about Charlie anymore. But if even half of what Hermione was saying was true, well now Lauren felt both excited and queasy at the thought of seeing Charlie again. More to the point, she realised that she didn't want to wait any longer than necessary.

While Lauren was out of the room, Hermione took the opportunity to address something that had been bothering her ever since Elliot had appeared in Lauren's arms; the incessant and excited feelings that were coming through the bond from Fred and George. She couldn't tell how much they had sensed and worked out, but she did know that she needed to stop them from broadcasting their suspicions or knowledge. Elliot's eyes boggled as Hermione conjured her patronus and sent Fred and George a message. "Everything is fine," she told her otter. "Don't say anything about what you're sensing, please. It's important. I'll explain everything when I get home."

When Lauren re-entered the living room, she found Elliot happily seated on Hermione's lap. They had been reading one of his favourite books together but she had clearly paused to answer his questions and was repeating her name for Elliot, who was trying hard to pronounce it. "It's OK," she told the little boy. "You can call me whatever you like; I don't suppose any of your cousins will be able to say Hermione either."

"He has cousins?"

"He has one adopted cousin called Teddy so far, but there'll be many more to come. Probably sooner than later, given what's happening in our world at the moment. I'm not sure how much Charlie told you about his family?"

Lauren shook her head. "Only a bit. We mostly talked about ideas and mythology and books … he seemed really interested in my work and was always full of questions, but he just said he had grown up in Devon and it sounded like he had a happy childhood. He mentioned an older brother called Will or Bill, I think, and I think he said he had younger siblings too?"

"Bill," said Hermione. "Charlie is one of seven. He has five brothers and one sister, Ginny. Bill's the eldest, then Charlie, and I'm married to Fred, who's right in the middle, but he only won that claim to fame by a few minutes."

Lauren frowned for a moment, not able to immediately compute how that was possible with so much else going around in her head.

"Fred's a twin," Hermione explained. "Identical. And I've now lost them the ability to prank you when you first meet George; they won't like that!"

"You think I'll meet them all?"

"I sincerely hope so. If you'd like to, anyway. Charlie has a wonderful family. Completely in your face half the time and loud as anything, but wonderful people. You've never experienced a Christmas like it."

"Sounds nice," Lauren said. "I don't have much family. My sister lives in Australia and my parents died a few years back."

"I'm sorry," Hermione said. She winced slightly when she realised that she and Lauren might share even more common ground, but now wasn't the time to mention her own family situation.

Lauren shrugged. "It happens."

"Must have been hard having a baby without family though."

"I joined a nice pregnancy yoga group and made some friends that way. We still meet up sometimes. A few of my colleagues were great; some aren't too far away and have kids of a similar age so are happy to exchange babysitting. And I had lovely midwives, so I wasn't alone for the birth. Elliot was born just there," she pointed to a spot in front of the sofa, "and I had a fairly easy birth, all things considered. Long, but manageable. Couldn't have asked for more, really, though I would have loved his dad to be there. Even if we weren't together in that way."

Hermione nodded. "I know Charlie would have been here for you if he had known. He'd have been right by your side. He'd love to see you, if that's something you'd like?"

Lauren nodded. It was clear to Hermione that she was still thinking about what might happen next. Gently, she offered some options. "Lauren, I can leave anytime and you can just email me if and when you're ready to take things further. No pressure. Charlie's still in Romania, but he knows I'm looking for you, and if I contact him then he'll take some time off and get back over here as soon as you want. Or we could get you back over there, if you'd prefer. I'll help you make it happen, whatever you want. The ball's in your court…"

That was something else, Hermione realised. It was lovely to be able to use muggle idioms without having to explain them all the time. She was definitely going to do everything she could to adopt Lauren as her friend, despite their age gap and no matter what else happened.

Lauren's fingers played with the beads around her neck as she looked at Hermione. "You must really love Charlie."

"I really do." Hermione smiled, thinking back to their pre-wedding conversation. "He gave me some great advice before I got married, which I think was probably stuff you'd taught him, so I owe you for that, too. I was so affected when he told me about what had happened and his feelings for you; I was desperate to help him find you … I'm just so happy to finally be meeting you and able to explain everything…"

Lauren bounced across to the other sofa so that she could give Hermione a hug. "Thank you," she said. "I haven't really even said thank you."

"There's no need, honestly." Hermione felt good in the older woman's arms. Even though Hermione was the taller by a few inches, Lauren felt safe and solid; that wasn't something Hermione had experienced a lot of late, except with Molly. Lauren gave Hermione a reassuring squeeze, sensing that this young witch had a big story that she hadn't fully made sense of herself. Well, that was OK. Stories were Lauren's medium. And she liked Hermione a lot. She recognised and shared the same sense of curiosity and a deep desire for learning.

Pulling back, Lauren looked at Hermione and nodded. "I think I'd like to see him as soon as I can. Maybe somewhere in between at first; neutral territory, if that doesn't sound weird? A quiet café, perhaps … or somewhere private, maybe outside, where we won't be disturbed. Could you help me arrange that, do you think?"

"Absolutely," replied Hermione, thinking. "If you like, you could use our place; Fred and I share a flat with Fred's twin brother George and we have a roof garden. It's nice, and it'd be totally private with no chance of interruption, but also you'd have us downstairs if you wanted anything…"

Before Lauren could answer, Elliot had climbed upon her lap, asking to watch a DVD.

"Of course, lovely," Lauren told him. "Sorry, mummy's being a bit boring today … you pick one, and I'll put it on for you."

Elliot spend a few moments appraising his DVD collection and chatting Hermione through the options before presenting Lauren with a penguin cartoon.

"What a great choice, Elliot," Hermione told him. "I loved animal films when I was little and …. oh!" She turned back to Lauren. "It's just clicked … Elliot as in Pete's dragon?"

Lauren laughed and nodded, looking a tad embarrassed. "It took me ages to come up with the right name, but it seemed perfect when I thought of it. Because of the tattoos, and I loved that film when I was little. And it's weird, but Elliot loves lizards and dinosaurs and dragons … he knows all their names and types; almost as if there's something in the DNA!"

"Well who knows?! His name is perfect. Charlie might not get the reference, though; you'll have to explain it sometime. I'm not sure he's ever seen a film."

Lauren furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head in disbelief.

"You'll get used to it," Hermione smiled. "I was eleven when I found out I was a witch, and it took me a while to adjust. Charlie and his brothers and sister grew up knowing they were magical, so for them it's the other way around and it's the non-magical world that can seem strange to them." She smiled. "It's fun to watch. I introduced my husband and his twin brother to the cinema recently … it was so precious to see their reaction."

Once Elliot and his rabbit had settled onto a beanbag to watch the DVD, Lauren turned back to Hermione. "Having a roof garden sounds lovely. I think it would be great to meet Charlie there. I always benefit from getting away for a day or so and I like that we could talk without anyone disturbing us. Where do you live? Is it easy to get to?"

Hermione smiled in reply. "We're in London. Don't worry about the getting there bit, and you're welcome to stay with us; both of you. You could either drive or get the train and I'll meet you and take you on foot for the last bit of the way, or you could travel magically with me if you wanted, but maybe we should save the specifics for another day?"

Lauren nodded. "I'd like it if you were nearby when Charlie and I met again. It feels so strange and even though you've only been here a few hours and told me the craziest stuff I feel safe with you." She slipped her hands into the big pockets of her colourful dress, playing with something she found in one of them and lowering her voice so that only Hermione could hear. "I'd like to be the one to tell Charlie about Elliot, Hermione, and I want to do that in my own time, depending on how things go. So I'll need to find someone to watch Elliot when I first meet Charlie. If Elliot's around when Charlie arrives then he'll get a big shock and I don't want Elliot to sense that or wonder what's going on. I don't want to keep Charlie from him but if they're going to meet each other then the circumstances need to be right for both of them."

This time it was Hermione who nodded. It made perfect sense to get Charlie reunited with Lauren before telling him about his son. Elliot looked like a miniature version of Charlie, so there would be no doubt about who he was if he was in the room when Charlie arrived. "Fred and I could watch him, if you'd like? Our place is big enough that we can keep him hidden for a bit, and then he's there so Charlie could meet him right away if you both want that?"

"That seems sensible. I don't suppose it's fair to ask you to not tell your husband anyway."

Hermione pulled a face. "I know you don't really need any more weird magical stuff thrust upon you, but my husband and I have a special kind of marriage bond which means that we can sense stuff through each other. So he and his twin already know that Elliot exists, just not the details. I've told them not to say anything though, and they won't." She grinned. "They'll be too scared of what I might do to them if they did!"

Lauren put her face in her hands, not for the first time that day, and rubbed her cheeks before shaking her head. She looked around for a TV camera one more time. "This really does have to be the weirdest day of my life so far. And I've had some weird days!"

"I need to stop adding to that, then! Look, how about I go home and get in touch with Charlie and see how soon he can get over to England? I'll email you as soon as I hear back from him."

"That sounds great."

Hermione hesitated. She wanted to offer Lauren more support, remembering how bereft she had felt in the hours after Minerva had left her parents' house after disclosing that Hermione was a witch. Hermione had been full of questions, and she suspected that Lauren might feel the same. "Or if you're not too busy, I could come back over tomorrow, whether or not I've heard from Charlie, and we could talk more."

"It's such a long journey from London, though."

Hermione wrinkled her nose. "Well not for me now I know where you live." She looked around Lauren's house. "If you'd be OK with me using magical transport, which I will confess will make me appear and disappear in a puff of smoke, sorry," both women laughed, with Lauren also raising her eyes to the ceiling and shaking her head, "then I could apparate, which means I can travel instantly from here to there and back again ... it's really no trouble at all. We'll pick somewhere private so there's no danger of anyone seeing me and arrange a time so you'll know it's going to happen and it won't freak you out more than necessary."

"I'd love that. We usually go to the park mid-morning so you could either come at about ten and join us, or wait til nearer twelve and come for lunch after we get back."

"Ten is good, and I'd enjoy a walk and a swing. And it will be good for me to get to know Elliot so he'll be comfortable with me when we babysit for you. Though we've made a good start on getting to know each other already, right Elliot?"

"Brilliant." As usual, Lauren's smile lit up her face and Elliot turned around when he heard his name.

"Hermione's going soon, lovely," Lauren told her son.

"Can't she play more? I like her..."

"She's coming back tomorrow, so you can play again then."

"OK!" Satisfied, Elliot turned back to the penguins and Hermione turned to Lauren.

"Email me sooner if you want to know anything, though. I don't have a phone, sorry, but I'll make sure I check my email a couple of times this evening. I'm out for dinner with Fred and George and George's girlfriend, but we won't be back late. So if you don't want to be alone, well I can come back sooner, or you're welcome to come to ours for a bit; we're very open house." She paused, not sure what else she could offer in the face of everything that she had landed upon the woman who had loved her brother-in-law and borne her nephew. "I'm sorry this has been so weird and shocking, Lauren."

"Sorry?" Lauren's eyes were shiny and she shook her head in disbelief as she took a deep breath and then sighed it out with an unfaltering smile. "I didn't even know if Charlie was still alive. He didn't seem like the kind of man who would cut off all ties, so everything went through my head. You've given me hope that my baby's dad might want to be in his life, and maybe Charlie and I can be friends, at least. I'd say that was a good day's work, Hermione."


	33. Making a plan

When George Weasley had promised to love, honour and keep the secrets of the bond that had unexpectedly formed between him and his wife-in-law when she bonded in marriage with his twin brother, he hadn't accounted for one thing.

How cross Angelina would be when she realised that he was keeping a huge and juicy secret from her.

The sensible response when she confronted him over a coffee break just half an hour after Hermione's patronus had instructed him and Fred to keep quiet would have been to be as honest as he could without breaking an actual confidence. He and Fred had only seen flashes of what looked like a redheaded child, after all, and they weren't sure what it meant themselves. George could have told Angelina that they were getting intriguing pictures through the bond and that Hermione had asked them not to say anything until she could explain properly. He could have reassured Angelina that it wasn't anything about her and that the four of them would have a calm conversation about it together during date night that evening. So, naturally, George had instead apparated away with a stricken look on his face and was now hiding from his girlfriend in the backroom of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

"Is he here?" Angelina asked Hermione as she ran up the stairs and into the living room of the flat. Hermione had literally just apparated in herself, from a secluded corner of Lauren's back garden, having explained to her new friend that she needed somewhere where she wouldn't be seen leaving or returning.

"George? I don't think so," Hermione replied. "I imagine he's downstairs but I've only just got back so I don't know for sure."

Angelina spend thirty seconds looking around the flat before discovering that he wasn't there. She sighed and plopped herself down on the sofa beside Hermione.

"Can I help?" Hermione asked. She had been excited to send Charlie an owl, but the look on Angelina's face suggested that this seemed more urgent. "Tea? Butterbeer? Firewhisky? Stinging hex aimed at his arse cheek? I've seen Freddie do it, and it's quite effective..." Hermione was secretly enjoying the more confident and daring side of herself that had emerged since she married Fred. She rather liked seasoning her conversations with words that shocked people from time to time.

Angelina laughed a bit at that. "No, just an honest conversation, if it's alright with you?"

"Of course. We agreed during the honeymoon that we needed to stick together, you and I, so you can say anything you need to." She leaned forward. "Have I upset you, Ange?"

Angelina sighed. "I understand the bond stuff is a bit tricky and none of us anticipated it. I don't want to force you to tell me personal things, but I don't want to fall out with George either, and he's keeping a secret from me, I can tell."

Hermione's eyes grew wide and her shoulders slumped. "Oh Ange, I'm sorry. It was just so sudden. I found out something a bit unexpected today, and the boys picked it up through the bond. I sent them a patronus because I didn't want them to blurt it out in front of anyone. It's a bit sensitive. I didn't mean George couldn't tell you, though. Of course you should know, and I'll tell you everything over dinner but I want to tell the boys the full story as well, so do you mind if I tell you all together?"

"Is it that juicy?"

Hermione smiled. "It's the juiciest gossip I've ever had." Then her face fell a little. "It's going to be a nightmare keeping it from the Weasleys until the person who needs to know next finds out, though." She gave a wry smile as Angelina looked even more confused. "Look, I'm not trying to tease you, but I need to start at the beginning. Would you grab Fred and George while I freshen up? I have to send an owl really quickly but as soon as they've shut the shop we could go to your dad's early so no-one has to wait any longer to find out?"

Angelina stood and gave her a hug. "Thank you. I promise it won't go further than me, whatever it is, but I … I find it a bit hard that I'm not in this loop. Especially as I can't bond with George in the same way unless I give up quidditch…"

Hermione squeezed her more tightly. "We'll make it clear to George this evening that he should feel able to tell you anything, and maybe we should say something to the rest of the family about that as well. I don't want the bond to cause problems for anyone."

"OK. I'm feeling a bit sensitive. I'm away a lot for training at the moment, so I'm not getting much!" She winked at Hermione, who grinned in response.

"You sure you want to come out with Freddie and I, or should we let you two have a night to yourselves instead?"

"Gods, no, not if you've got the gossip of the century! Don't be offended if we leave early, though. I've got make-up plans for George Weasley once I find him and he gets out of my bad books!"

Hermione smiled as Angelina flashed her eyes and walked over to the door that would take her back down to the shop. Quickly, she found clean parchment and a quill, hoping that the boys would have a mail order owl that they could spare overnight.

.

 _Charlie,_

 _I have met Lauren and I love her! More importantly, she's single and open to meeting with you. She knows about the wizarding world (I have explained the important things and she understands why you couldn't find her, but you and Lauren need to talk now). She would like to meet you here at our flat in Diagon Alley. Let me know what day and time you can get here and how long you can stay and I'll make it happen. Friday or the weekend would be great if you can get away that soon, but she might use muggle transport, which is slower than ours, so best not to come before then as I need a day or two to plan._

 _With loads of love,_

 _Hermione_

 _P.S. If you want to send Lauren a note with your reply, I'll get it to her for you._

.

As she was writing the last sentence, Fred had come into the flat and walked up behind Hermione, winding his arms around her waist.

"I know you're more interested in reading this than cuddling me," she quipped. "Don't forget I can feel your emotions…"

Fred tried to look hurt, but failed, and a large grin crossed his face. "She's up for meeting him? And what about the –"

"All in good time, sweetheart. Did you bring me an owl?"

"I did," George was striding towards her with a sturdy looking grey owl riding on his shoulder. Angelina was close behind him, looking a bit happier. "Oswald says he'd love a trip to Romania to see dragons and have a sleepover with Charlie as a nice change from taking skiving snackboxes to Scotland, wouldn't you mate?" The owl gently pecked George's good ear.

"Thank you, Oswald." Fred suppressed a grin as Hermione addressed the owl, giving him a small bow of her head as she handed him the letter. He loved that Hermione was unfailingly polite to magical creatures of all kinds, treating them all as equals and always asking for their help rather than ordering them around. He knew that this was one of the reasons that Charlie loved her as well. The owl immediately took off through the large open window and then circled the rooftops of Diagon Alley before arcing his wings and heading southeast towards Romania.

"Are you ready?" Fred asked Hermione.

"I am," she smiled.

"Right then, love, prepare to be apparated. None of us can wait a minute longer to hear what you have to say for yourself!" He took her hand and she felt the squeeze as he magically transported them directly to their favourite beanbag, with George and Angelina appearing immediately after them on the other side of their favourite triangular table.

"I'll be two seconds, and don't you dare breathe a word til I'm back! Butterbeer or water or something else?" Angelina asked, heading into the restaurant as soon as they gave her their drinks order. It took her forty-five seconds to hug her dad and find a waiter, and then she was back and eager to hear what Hermione had to tell them.

"OK, I'll start at the beginning as I don't know what George has told you so far…" George went to interrupt Hermione, wanting to clarify what he had and hadn't told Angelina, but she gently raised her hand. "I don't mind what you've told Ange, George. I'm sorry if I made you think you had to hide this from her and we all need to have a chat about that before we leave here, but let's do this bit first, OK?"

George nodded. Fred was practically bouncing out of the beanbag with excitement.

"About three years ago, Charlie met a muggle woman called Lauren when she was holidaying in Romania for the summer. It was a summer fling for both of them; neither was looking for anything more. Lauren lived in England … well, still does, and gave Charlie her contact details when she left but they didn't make any definite plans. He couldn't give her any way of contacting him, of course, as she didn't know he was a wizard." Hermione rolled her eyes and laughed. "They're both as bad as each other in the department of non-commitment!" She looked up and smiled her thanks as a waiter dropped off a pitcher of water and their drinks.

Fred used his wand to charm the water jug to fill their glasses as she continued. "Once she left though, Charlie realised it was more than a summer thing for him; he really cared for her. But he didn't know how to use muggle communications to find her. He made one attempt that failed, because she had moved jobs, and then he was busy being Bill's best man and we were in the lead-up to the war and The Order needed him to recruit in Europe and, well, life got in the way. Thank you," she smiled at Fred and sipped her water before continuing.

"The day before our wedding, he told me all about it. He's still holding a massive torch for her and was so sad because he thought he had lost her, but it struck me that it wouldn't be that hard to find her; not if you used muggle technology. He was delighted with that idea, so I did some research and found her and she and I chatted a bit by muggle means and today I went to meet her."

Fred and George both leaned forward. "And?" they said in unison.

"And she's lovely. She's still single; she's fun and friendly … and," she took a deep breath, "it turns out that Charlie got her pregnant before she left. They have a gorgeous two-year-old son called Elliot that Charlie has no idea about."

Angelina gasped, her hand flying to her mouth in surprise.

"Knew it," said Fred, holding his hand out to George, who reached into his pocket for ten galleons.

"Which bit were you betting on, precisely?" Hermione asked.

"Gender," Fred grinned. "What we picked up from you was so blurry that we had a fifty fifty chance, but a win is a win whether by luck or judgement."

Angelina was laughingly shaking her head at them. "How does she feel about Charlie? Gods, I can't even imagine…"

"I know…" Hermione replied. Both the witches went quiet for a moment as they considered how hard it must have been for Lauren to be pregnant and to raise a small child on her own. "I think, for a while, she assumed he'd get in touch one day so she just waited, but of course eventually there came a point where she'd have been too pregnant to think about travelling to Romania to look for him. And for all she knew, his work there might have been temporary, so it could have been a wasted trip…"

"The poor woman…"

Hermione nodded again. "She's strong, though. Clever, really qualified in her world, just a lovely woman. You two will love her," she looked at Fred and George. "She's very colourful, and bright as anything … I can see her giving you both a run for your money."

They took a break to order food and, over the next hour or so, Hermione filled them in on the finer details, on her plan for the next few days and on the fact that Lauren wanted to tell Charlie about Elliot herself.

"That's understandable," said Angelina. "Though I don't fancy being in our shoes when Molly finds out that we knew and didn't tell her."

"I know," Hermione said. "I've been thinking about that too. Ginny as well…"

"Oh Gods," said Fred, looking at George. Clearly something else had occurred to him.

"Bill!" George shouted, picking up his twin's thought more quickly than Hermione on this occasion.

"Oh please … promise me we can be there when Bill finds out and I'll never test a product on you again?" Fred fluttered his eyelashes at Hermione.

"It's not up to me, silly! I'm just facilitating their meeting; it's up to Charlie and Lauren to figure it out together after that!"

"What are we going to do though, seriously?" That was Angelina, and the other three turned to look at her. She put her glass down to explain. "Molly will go ballistic, and I don't want us all to get grief when she finds out that we knew and didn't tell her!"

"Well I know exactly what I'm going to do," Fred declared.

"What's that then?" asked Hermione.

"Everything I can to not see mum until Charlie's told her himself!"

George laughed, loudly, but all four of them were aware that this problem needed to be solved, and that they also needed to talk about the issue of the bond itself. Seeing a waiter coming onto their balcony with a magical notepad in hand, they decided to pause to order their food and hash it out while eating.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Is that all of it decided then? And are we all happy with the plan?" Fred asked, as they pushed their dessert plates away an hour or so later.

"I'm delighted with the Quadruplet Agreement, if you all are," Angelina said, and George tightened his hold on her.

"It's the least we can do, Angie," Hermione told her. "When we're next at The Burrow, we will tell everyone that they need to accept that anything told to one of us is effectively told to all four of us. The possible exception is our own birthday and Christmas surprises, but they will have to understand that the three of us just aren't able to keep some things from each other and that we all agree it's unfair to exclude you from anything that any of us knows."

Angelina's relief was clear in her face.

"And as far as the Elliot situation goes," Hermione continued, "we're agreed that we'll all be super busy and avoid The Burrow until Charlie gets here and finds out, and then tell him that he needs to tell mum before Sunday dinner. And if for some reason he doesn't make it or Lauren doesn't tell him before Sunday, we will go to plan B."

Fred took over. "… beg Phil to have need of us here all day Sunday to help him with something, and explain to mum that it's only fair we share ourselves around."

"I don't think it'll come to that," said Hermione. "I know Charlie has leave due, and I think he'll do whatever he can to be here this weekend. I'd be amazed if he's not here Friday evening. Can I bet on that?"

Fred and George shook their heads.

"Why not? You're always betting with each other and the rest of your family."

"We both think you're right though, so no-one wants to bet against you…"

"You need to get a better handle on how betting works, love," Fred stroked her hair.

Hermione huffed gently. "Well OK, can we talk about how we can offer them both a bed if they want to stay? Charlie's easy because he'll sleep anywhere and there are three or four sofas between the flat and the shop which we could transfigure, but we can't let Lauren stay by herself at The Cauldron, especially on her first visit to a magical environment…"

A large grin crossed George's face. "You think they'll just pick up where they left off? Are we talking one bed or two?" Then his teasing stopped as he remembered Elliot. "Oh, or three, I guess, with them having a little one?! Wow, that's gonna cramp his style a bit, the tart!"

Hermione couldn't help laughing. "I haven't a clue, George! But Elliot's easy; we can transfigure a little bed for him, or maybe he still shares with Lauren." She looked at Fred. "We could offer Lauren our room, and enlarge one of the sofas for us? I was already thinking we'd need to keep Elliot in our bedroom when Charlie arrives. We can lock and ward the door; put up a silencing spell…"

"No need for you two to end up in the living room," George interrupted. "I'll just go to Ange's," he turned to his girlfriend, "if that's OK with you, love?"

"Of course, but you know I'm away this weekend for work? We're all travelling up Friday morning because of the pre-game publicity stuff..."

"Oh, I'd forgotten," he admitted.

"Well it's not a problem," she continued, her hand on his arm. "You can stay there without me. Keep my bed warm," she winked at him.

George looked at Fred and Hermione and shrugged. "It'd be fairer anyway, I guess? Doesn't seem right for all of us to meet Lauren and Elliot before Charlie does? Lauren can have my room and then the sofa's free for Charlie and I'll come over and meet them later in the weekend."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

It was just as well, Hermione thought, that she had been able to predict Charlie's desire to come as soon as possible, else they might have to have gone back to the drawing board with both their sleeping arrangements and their plan to not get in trouble with Molly. The letter that Elena had dropped onto the table before going for a nap on the roof when they returned to the flat that evening was brief.

.

 _My Lady 'Mione,_

 _I don't know where to start. I won't ever be able to hug or thank you enough. The only reason I'm not apparating into your arms to hug you right now is because I would probably splinch myself in my excitement. I can get a portkey to the Ministry Friday after work, which will be about 5pm your time. I'm not keyed into the flat's wards so I'll floo to The Leaky Cauldron and walk to the shop. Is that too soon? I hope not. I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight. THANK YOU! I can't believe it._

 _I've been trying to write a note for you to give Lauren the past hour and I can't get it right. I'm sending this with Elena because you said you needed to know soon, and I'll send something for Lauren with Oswald once he's had a good kip on my balcony._

 _You're fab,_

 _Charlie_

 _P.S. I can stay til first thing Monday morning if you, Fred and George are OK with that. Can bugger off to Mum's if you don't have room._

.

Hermione wrinkled her nose and smiled to herself. She was fairly confident that Charlie wouldn't be 'buggering off to mum's' in a hurry once he had seen Lauren and learned that he was a dad, but who could tell.

The next morning, Oswald arrived back home bright and early with two tiny packages, which Hermione enlarged with her wand while the kettle boiled. One was a box of chocolates for herself, with another lovely note from Charlie. The other was a box for Lauren, and Hermione was glad that he had enclosed the note in an envelope, as she didn't want to pry into their private correspondence. Placing both boxes on the coffee table, Hermione headed to the shower, keen to get in and out before Fred and George wanted the bathroom. Today, she was off to see Lauren and Elliot again, and she couldn't wait to tell her new friend that things were working out for her and Charlie to be reunited at the end of the week.


	34. Welcome to the Wizarding World

Hermione dropped the tee shirt that she had slept in onto the bathroom floor and stepped under the fragrant, cascading water. Although she was a big fan of baths, she also loved the magical shower that Fred and George had installed in the flat's bathroom. The magic was complex, as they had created a large dial with multiple discs which you could set to mix almost any combination of water pressure, heat and flow without having to take your wand in with you. They had also somehow managed to add the option of several herb and oil blends, and Hermione's favourite so far was the 'hot rain' setting with the addition of the rainforest spice mix.

"Fuck, you're gorgeous." Fred's voice came from behind her and she smiled to herself as he placed both his hands on her hips and kissed her shoulder.

"Fuck, you came in here quietly," she retorted, reaching a hand back to stroke him.

"Haven't come yet. Planning to, though. Wanted to surprise you," he whispered, nipping her neck with his teeth after discarding his boxer shorts and closing the shower door. Hermione tipped her head to one side, enjoying the stretch of her muscles under the heated water almost as much as she did the sensation of his lips and tongue upon her skin. "Show you what I woke up with," he growled quietly into her ear, pressing himself into the small of her back.

"Mmmmmmm, is that for me?" she teased.

"You want it?"

"Of course…"

Fred went down on one knee, using his hands to spread Hermione's legs but stopping her with a gentle, "no, stay there," when she went to turn around to face him. He gently pushed her shoulders forward, pulled her hips back and pressed his face to her core, licking and teasing her with his fingers and mouth for several minutes until she was begging him to fill her. Then, spreading his feet slightly apart to gain traction on the shower bottom, Fred turned Hermione and then leaned down to pick her up and wrap her legs around him. Bracing her against the wall, he cast a wandless spell to take some of her weight, kissed her soundly and entered her as the fragrant water cascaded over them both.

A few minutes later, after coming down from their orgasms and casting a finite to return Hermione's body mass to normal, they gently washed each other's hair. "What are your plans today, love?" Fred asked as he massaged the conditioner that Hermione had squeezed onto his palm into her locks.

"I'm going to send Elena back to Charlie to confirm that we'll expect him just after five on Friday, and then I have a date with Lauren and Elliot," she told him. "We're going to the park. I'll take her the note from Charlie and make a plan to get her over here before Charlie arrives."

Fred frowned. "How are they going to get here? You wouldn't apparate them both together their first time, would you?"

"Gods no…" she trailed off, realising that she probably needed to give it more thought. Fred was right; apparition took some getting used to, especially for adults, and it wouldn't be right for one person to take both of them, especially if they were both ill upon arrival. "They might come on the train, or floo. Lauren has a car, I think, but driving into London would be a lot of hassle. I don't know…" But, Hermione thought, even if they were going to floo then it might be better for someone else to carry Elliot so she could help Lauren. She and Fred looked at each other, realising together that if Lauren and Elliot were going to travel by magical means then Hermione would need help.

"If they decide to floo, I'll come," Fred offered. "I was planning to chat George into giving me Friday afternoon off anyway, so I can tidy the flat and get some shopping in. Ange is leaving early that day, so he won't mind working. And we're both taking Saturday off this week; Verity and Lee are going to hold the fort. If we've got a houseful for the weekend then we'll need to stock up, though I thought we could have fish and chips on Friday to make it easy…"

"We had fish and chips last weekend, sweetheart!"

"'Mione, I have fish and chips most weekends! It's Georgie's favourite, and it's pretty up there for me too!"

Hermione gently bounced her hip into his. "You're going to end up looking like a chip, Fred Weasley!"

He leaned down to her ear. "I'm not, love. That's just a myth that parents tell kids who won't eat their veggies. And besides, our bond means you'd still love me even if I did…"

Hermione leaned her face in as he kissed her cheek and began to chat to her about what he should put on his shopping list while she finished washing. Not for the first time, Hermione gave silent thanks that Molly had drilled homemaking skills and a sense of household responsibility into all her children. She made a mental note to pick up some good muggle chocolate for when she next saw her mother-in-law.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

When Hermione explained the transport options to Lauren a few hours later, during their walk home from the park with a sleeping Elliot, Lauren tipped her head back and forth several times while weighing it up.

"I can cut the options in half right away," she said. "There's no way I'm going to drive that far into London and I'll rule out apparating this time," she said. "I think I'd like to at least have had a coffee and a chat with your husband before I throw up on him!"

Hermione smiled at that. "I'm not trying to put you off it. Once you've done it a couple of times, you'll be fine. I just want to make sure you're fully informed; some people don't tell you how disorientating it can be the first time and I don't think that's helpful…"

"And I really appreciate that, Hermione! I'm tempted to wimp out and go for the train, but on a Friday afternoon that won't be a relaxing option either, and if the floo system really is that quick then I'm thinking we should go for that. It sounds nicer than the underground in this heat…"

"I think that's a good idea. So I'll apparate here, we'll get the bus into town, Fred can meet us at the café and then we'll all floo straight to the flat." Hermione had already told Lauren about the wizarding café that she had used the first time she visited Lauren, and she was glad that she would be able to give Lauren a means to travel to or contact the magical world on her own if she needed it anytime.

"Can I take baggage if we floo? Like a suitcase or rucksack, I mean?"

"Of course; that's partly why Fred's going to come and help. He can take your bags or maybe even Elliot if he's open to Fred holding him, and then I can help you. It'll just be easier if there are more of us." Hermione paused, choosing her next words carefully. "And on that note, do bring overnight things for both of you. George says he'll stay at his girlfriend's flat, so you can have his room for a night or two if you'd like it…"

"Oh, that's kind of him," Lauren said.

"That's very much the Weasley way," Hermione told her. "But he stays at Angie's flat most weekends anyway, so don't worry that you're putting him out." She paused, checking Lauren's face before continuing. "Charlie's coming to England for the whole weekend, so it'd be good to leave your options open. But I can apparate or floo you home anytime if you need a break or have had enough of us, so don't be afraid to ask..."

Lauren gave a half smile. "It might be the other way around; Elliot has a lot of energy, especially in the morning!"

"That's OK," Hermione leaned in closer. "So do George and Fred … it'll be interesting to see who gets worn out first!"

Lauren realised that she was really looking forward to meeting more of Charlie's family as well as seeing the man himself. "I'm actually quite excited about it," she told Hermione. "Even the flooing!"

"Well that's good … you will get used to all of this, I promise," Hermione reassured her. "And probably sooner than you think. I adapted to it fairly quickly, considering."

"You were young, though…" Lauren looked thoughtful.

"Yes; that probably made it easier in some ways … but you have advantages too…"

Lauren tipped her head slightly and looked questioningly at Hermione, who smiled as she explained her reasoning. "You've got the wisdom of all your years of studying. I'm not saying it's better or worse than my experience, but you've studied different cultures; that might give you a head start." Lauren nodded, and Hermione continued. "You're definitely better with people than I was. And you'll have the Weasleys … well, you'll have to take my word for it til you meet them, but whatever happens with you and Charlie, you and Elliot will have a whole new family who are going to love you both and do whatever they can to make you feel welcome in their world."

She hoped. Hermione knew that the elder Weasleys would dote on their grandchild but she wasn't totally sure about how Molly and Arthur would react to the news that their second eldest son had a two year-old of his own with a woman who he wasn't in a relationship with. She didn't dwell on that thought, though. Since she had been with Fred, Hermione was finding it easier to put future worries on the back burner and concentrate on the present moment.

"Is there anything I need to bring? I'll bring Elliot's carrier rather than this," she indicated his pushchair, which would be bulky to transport, "but what else?"

Lauren's voice brought Hermione out of her thoughts, and she considered the question before answering.

"Just clothes and personal stuff and whatever you need for Elliot. None of us have kids yet, so we're not really prepared with supplies, though food for him shouldn't be a problem and Fred's doing a big shop for the weekend. He's got it into his head that we'll have fish and chips on Friday evening, if that works for you?"

"That sounds lovely."

"Fred and George will find any excuse to have fish and chips!" Hermione confided. "I try to add a bowl of salad so we have something healthy too, but I only have about a fifty per cent success rate!"

Lauren laughed. "It sounds like you look after them well! I hope you don't do too much for them?" she asked the younger woman.

"Well…" mused Hermione. "I try not to. Angie warned me about that, and Charlie too, as I think I told you?" Lauren's nod confirmed that. "But I do have a tendency to mother, even with my friends, so I'm happy to be reminded…"

"It's a hard balance to strike." Lauren looked thoughtful. "As a mother too. It's sometimes hard to know when to run in and scoop them up and when to stand back and let them figure it out. You just have to do your best."

They had reached Lauren's front door and Lauren suggested that Hermione spread out a blanket on the front lawn and let Elliot snooze in the shade while Lauren fetched them some cool drinks. Hermione did just that, settling Elliot's pushchair under a tree and pulling her cross stitch out of her bag for the first time in days. "Do you know," she murmured under her voice to the sleeping child, "not three weeks ago, I was sat under a tree on a blanket doing this while I talked with your daddy."

"Is he well?" Lauren's voice was quiet as she put down a tray holding two glasses of squash and a small bag and then settled herself onto the blanket, tipping out the contents of the bag to show Hermione a quilt square that she was working on. "I saw you from the window and thought I'd join you," she explained.

"That's lovely. Oh Gods, is that Ribena?" It was hard for Hermione to keep her voice quiet in her excitement when she noticed what was in the glasses.

"Yes," Lauren laughed. "Isn't that a wizarding thing?"

"It is not," Hermione whispered back, "and my parents were dentists, so I was hardly ever allowed it at home either!"

"Well we don't have it often at all," Lauren admitted. "But now and again as a special treat…"

The two women each lifted a glass and toasted each other before Hermione answered Lauren's earlier question. "Charlie? Yes, he's well. He was on good form at my wedding, other than the fact that he was pining for you … which I don't think he'll mind me telling you, as he was very open about it. He sent you this, by the way." Hermione reached into her bag and handed Lauren the box and card.

Lauren took it and nodded slowly, her fingers playing with the ribbon on the box as she looked at Elliot. "Should I be concerned about what this news is going to do to him?"

Hermione put her glass down, carefully squishing the base into a bare patch of the lawn to make sure it wouldn't tip over. "No," she said firmly, though still as quietly as she could. "You really shouldn't." She paused. "Are you worried about that?"

Lauren sighed. "I don't want him to feel trapped or obliged in any way." She moved her hand to indicate Elliot. "It's not like our little one was planned. I'm still not sure how it happened; I was using a diaphragm and the gel and it never failed before. And even if I could go back in time I wouldn't change it, because I adore him, but it has changed my life and path and I'm aware it might do the same to Charlie."

"That's for Charlie to figure out, though..."

"I know. I do know that." Lauren stitched a bit more before continuing. "I suppose it just feels rather big, and sudden. Even though I've been wanting it for so long." Her needle stopped moving. "In a way, I wish he would walk into the garden right now. I think it's the waiting that's difficult."

Hermione wished she could do more, and she hoped that some part of Lauren's emotional state was caused by her still having feelings for Charlie, but it was hard to know whether that was the case or not. "I do know how that feels. It was like that when I got married. But this time tomorrow, I'll be back here and then you'll be busy meeting Fred and seeing where we live and you'll have Charlie in front of you before you know it."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Once Elliot woke, they had soup for lunch and then Lauren and Elliot went into the back garden to wave Hermione off as she apparated home. The twenty-four hours between her leaving and returning passed more quickly for Hermione, who was busy helping in the shop and finalising plans for the weekend, than it did for Lauren, but eventually Elliot's cry of "whoosh" gave her notice that Hermione would soon be knocking on the back door. He had done the same thing just before Hermione had arrived the previous day, and Lauren made a mental note to ask Hermione whether it was possible that he could somehow sense nearby apparition.

As soon as the two women's eyes met, Hermione could tell that Lauren was more than ready to get underway and she decided it would be kinder to Lauren to decline a cup of tea. Hermione knew from her own experience that it was sometimes less stressful to just start a journey than to wait around, and she slipped to the bathroom and sent a patronus to Fred to see if he could join them a bit earlier than planned. He promised to speed up his shopping and, when Hermione, Lauren and Elliot completed the short walk from the bus stop and entered the café, Fred was already there. Hermione's heart leapt to see him leaning against the counter and chatting to another wizard who Hermione recognised as having been in his year at Hogwarts. She was still, even after three weeks, getting used to the knowledge that they were together forever.

As soon as he saw his wife and another woman holding hands with a redheaded child, Fred excused himself and strode over towards the table where Hermione was settling them and their bags. He smiled and nodded to Lauren and blew a kiss to Hermione as he made a beeline for his nephew.

"You must be Elliot! Hi!" Upon reaching the toddler, Fred immediately lowered himself to sit cross legged on the ground in front of the little boy, holding out his hand to shake. Elliot was charmed and offered his own hand in return. "I'm Fred."

"Hi Fred … you have hair like me!" Elliot was excited and pulled a strand of hair from his own head to show his new friend.

"So I do!" Fred copied the gesture and tipped his head toward Elliot so they could show Lauren and Hermione.

"Well fancy that," said Hermione. "It's almost as if you were related."

Lauren tried to suppress a laugh, for the sake of not making Elliot think there was anything wrong with that idea. "I won't get on the floor with you just now, but I'm Lauren, hello Fred," she offered her own hand to Fred, who took it, bowed, turned it and kissed the back.

"Is that a normal wizard greeting?" Lauren asked, looking between them both.

"No," said Fred. "That's my idea of being charming and politely reserved. Come tomorrow, we'll all be hugging you and lifting you up off the floor as if we've known you for years…" He gave Elliot another grin and was rewarded when the toddler sat on the floor in front of him, trying to work out how to make his own little legs cross to match Fred's.

"Good to know," Lauren smiled, and Hermione felt happy. She hadn't thought for a moment that Lauren and Fred wouldn't hit it off, but the way they were immediately relaxed around each other gave her increased hope for Lauren's integration into the family. They watched Elliot with amusement. Fred was helping Elliot figure out how to move his legs to sit in the same position that Fred was. "How to spot the child of an academic," Lauren said to Hermione in a quiet voice that was full of amusement. "Could form full sentences and name and classify every type of animal before the age of two, but still doesn't have full limb control…"

"Oh we'll soon sort that out," Fred's voice was equally quiet as he looked up at Lauren. "Six uncles and acres of trees…"

"Six? I thought you had a sister in there?"

"We do," Fred replied with a smile. "I'm counting her fiancé Harry. He's like another brother, especially to 'Mione here…"

"Are you ready to floo right away?" asked Hermione, "or do you need a cup of tea while you wrap your head around the idea?"

"Is there tea at your house?" Lauren hadn't thought about this – she could have popped some teabags in her bag – and it then occurred to her that she hadn't asked much about food either.

"Of course," said Fred, looking shocked. "We're quite civilised really, you know!" Lauren was momentarily startled, worried that she had caused offence, and then he gave her one of the Weasley twin trademark winks, causing her to laugh. "We have regular tea and several herbal varieties; we'll have eggs and bacon for breakfast in the morning but we also have toast and marmalade or cereal if you prefer; I can make fruit smoothies with my wand if you want to go the healthy route," he waggled his eyebrows, "and I think you know that I am proposing to go out and get us all fish and chips for dinner tonight, and I'll even get them from a non-magical chip shop if you want." He looked pleased with himself for having reassured Lauren.

"Well, it sounds like you've got it all covered, though I'm happy to try magical fish and chips," she grinned. "We should just go. I'll only keep asking questions that'll likely be answered when we get there…"

"I think that's a good idea," said Hermione. "Now, the first step is to see if Elliot will let Fred carry him?" She crouched down to address the little boy. "Can Fred carry you on a ride to our house? Mummy will be right behind you?" Elliot nodded. He liked his new friend Fred. Hermione turned to Lauren, holding her arms out for Lauren's things. "I'll wear your backpack and Elliot's baby carrier, so you don't need to worry about them. If Fred takes Elliot in his arms and goes first, then I can help you leave and he'll be there for you when you step out. I'll be right behind you. Does that sound OK?"

"I'd rather Elliot was in your arms than mine, to be honest," Lauren said to Fred. "I'd be worried that he'd pick up my nerves."

"No nerves here, love; he'll be fine with me, I promise. Been doing this since I was his size." Hermione was grateful for Fred's ever-present confidence. "And when you arrive, don't be afraid to take my hand or put your arms around me and let me steady you; it can be disorientating the first few times and there's no shame in leaning on a friend."

"OK…" Lauren nodded. She still didn't look certain, but she knew that delaying this wasn't going to help.

"Right then, young sir; shall we go for a ride?" Fred stood up and then held his arms down towards Elliot, who held his own up in response. With the bags arranged and Elliot settled securely on Fred's hip, they all walked towards the fireplace, nodding a thank you to the café owner. "We'll see mummy in just a few moments," Fred told Elliot, as he dropped some coins into the pot and took a handful of powder. He stepped into the fireplace, threw the powder down, stated his destination and disappeared into the flames.

"Don't think too much about it," advised Hermione, seeing Lauren's face. She poured the right amount of floo powder into her friend's hand. "Do exactly the same as Fred. Speak clearly. You'll feel yourself spinning, then you'll slow and see Fred. Take his hand and step out of the fireplace towards him. I'll be right behind you."

"With a gin and tonic in your hand?" Lauren managed a smile.

"I'll do one better; I'll introduce you to firewhisky as a reward. Go…" Hermione was smiling, but she knew it was kinder to encourage Lauren than to let her delay and become anxious.

The flooing experience wasn't as bad as Lauren had feared, although it was dizzying and she was glad of Fred's words about not being afraid to take his hand as she stepped into the flat. "One more step, love," he encouraged her, putting his free arm around her to steady her against his side while still hugging Elliot on the other. He needed to clear a path for Hermione to step out.

As she did, right behind Lauren, she quickly put down the things she was carrying and went to Lauren's other side. "OK?"

"I'm good, thanks; just a tiny bit dizzy." She looked at Elliot, who had a broad smile on his face.

"Good ride, Fred," he announced, patting Fred on the arm.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, mate," Fred replied. "We can do that lots." He looked at Lauren. "Welcome to our flat. Shall I show you around while Hermione puts the kettle on?"

"Actually, I promised Lauren a firewhisky!" Hermione raised her eyebrows at Fred.

"We can do that too!" He chuckled, remembering a conversation from their honeymoon. "What did you say was on my mum's list of excuses to drink in the daytime?"

"Christmas morning, family crisis and parent-child sex talks," Hermione told Lauren under her breath so that Elliot wouldn't hear.

"Does one's first flooing count as a family crisis?" Lauren asked as she tested her footing and began to follow Fred, who was still carrying Elliot, towards the kitchen.

"If it doesn't, then it should. Oh Gods, that's a good thought…" Fred stopped in his tracks and turned back towards the fire.

"What is it, sweetheart?"

"I'd better shut the floo. George knows not to come up and we piled a load of boxes on the stairs this morning so we won't get unwanted visitors that way before Charlie arrives, but we don't need Gin or Ron unexpectedly flooing in before he gets here…"

"This is just one reason why I love Fred," Hermione said to Lauren. "He likes everyone to think that he's all spontaneity and pranks and surprises, but secretly he thinks ahead almost as much as I do! He swore the cafe owner and his friend to secrecy as well, so they won't say anything about us meeting you there."

Lauren laughed and watched Fred as he pointed his wand towards the fireplace and made a movement that cast the spell to close the floo connection. Elliot watched carefully and then made the same movement at the fireplace with his own hand, pretending that he, too, was holding a wand.

"Wow," Fred said, impressed at the toddler's ability to copy the movement. "We'll need to watch where we put our wands down … that was nearly perfect!"

"He's got prefect written all over him," Hermione grinned to Lauren, who already looked much more relaxed. "I'll show you George's room and where everything is and then we can settle Elliot and Fred in our room in plenty of time before Charlie gets here." She cast a spell with her own wand to see what time it was. "Half past three; plenty of time to relax and get ready."

Lauren swallowed. It was nearly three years since she had seen Charlie Weasley. She must have thought about him a million times between then and now, and – she took a deep breath – in a little under two hours' time he would be back in her life again.


	35. Meeting on the roof

Lauren Bennett stood on the roof garden of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and looked out over Diagon Alley. It hadn't taken her long to learn her way around the flat, settle into George's room and unpack her things. Having ensured that Elliot was settled and happy playing with Fred in his and Hermione's bedroom, she decided to go and sit in the roof garden and take some deep breaths while waiting for Charlie to arrive.

And it was the right decision. The garden was private enough that, if you were sat on the sofas, stood at the barbeque or tending Hermione's herbs, you couldn't be seen from the Alley. But if you squeezed between the planters and leaned forward over the wall, you could both see and be seen by those on the other side of the road. It was a good spot from which to contemplate life, and that was just what Lauren needed to do. Her feelings about Charlie were confused. Lauren suspected that she wouldn't truly be able to make sense of them until the two had met and shared several conversations, given everything that had passed since they had last been together and the revelation that they lived in what were essentially two different worlds. But even though less than forty-eight hours had passed since she had learned that she would be able to see him again, Lauren was finding it difficult to wait for those conversations to begin.

She played her fingers through a box of lavender, enjoying the gently wafting scent of the flowers as she watched the wizarding world below. By this time of the day, the Diagon Alley foot traffic had slowed. The shoppers had departed, and most of those who would be going out for the evening were still at home getting themselves ready. Lauren watched the book shop owners bring in their signs and lock up, her mind still finding it hard to process seeing them using magic wands rather than keys.

Spotting a teenage witch and wizard who were walking together, clearly dancing around each other in flirtation, Lauren smiled to herself at the evidence of their young love and wondered again how her story with Charlie was going to progress. Their time together had been about physical enjoyment and conversation rather than love or a desire for commitment. They had both been at a key point in their career and, by mutual agreement, had come together to enjoy each other's company and their young bodies. The intellectual spark that flared between them during their late-night conversations was an unexpected bonus, but neither of them had made any promises and neither had desired or asked for promises to be made. So there was no telling what might happen now.

Finally, Lauren didn't have to wait any longer for the next chapter to begin. As she watched the young magical couple pass the book shop, she heard the roof door swing open and a series of loud heartbeats tumbled over each other to fill her chest when she heard a deep voice behind her saying, "Hello, lovely."

Turning carefully, because tripping over while navigating out of the tight space between the planters wasn't going to set quite the tone she was aiming for, Lauren felt awkward for about two and a half seconds before the most enormous smile crossed her face at the sight of Charlie Weasley. "Hello, gorgeous," she replied, her voice full of emotion as she picked her way back out before taking the few short steps across the wooden floor to meet him halfway and step into his open arms.

Goodness, she had forgotten how good he smelled. As Lauren closed her eyes and pressed her cheek to Charlie's chest, his arms spiralled and tightened around her; the left one winding down towards her left hip and the other wrapping around her shoulders so he could hold as much of her as close to him as possible. "Oh, love," he said. "Fuck. Fuck." She wrapped her own arms around his back. Charlie wondered if he was going to pass out with happiness. After a long hug, Charlie pulled back slightly, his eyes searching Lauren's face. "I thought I'd lost you forever!"

"Charlie Weasley..." Lauren's voice was quiet, but her smile hadn't faded. "To mangle the words of a woman you've probably never heard of, I don't know whether to hit you or kiss you."

Charlie nodded, reaching for her hair and playing the short curls through his fingers as he continued to gaze into Lauren's eyes. "I – I wanted to find you … so badly, but I didn't know how, and then things got crazy…" He was beginning to tremble with shock and emotion.

Lauren was feeling just as shaky and emotional. "It's OK. Let's sit down," she said, indicating one of the benches which sat either side of the wooden table, strewn with brightly coloured cushions. She stepped back and took his hand in hers, pulling him to sit on the bench beside her. "I wasn't sure if Charlie was even your real name. I searched everywhere. There's no-one with that name in the whole of the south-west of England."

"It really is my name. But you won't find records of me or any of my family. Only Hermione, because she has muggle … well, because her parents aren't magical. Mine are, and have been for generations, so it's like we don't exist to you."

"You're a wizard, Charlie." She spoke slowly; it was half statement, half question.

He nodded and bit his lip. "I'm so sorry…"

Lauren's smile really was irrepressible, and for a second it reminded him of Fred and George. "Why? I don't suppose you can help it! Isn't it congenital?" she teased.

"Well, yes," he conceded, a sheepish grin crossing his own face. "I mean I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

Her smile became wistful. "It was a holiday fling, though. For both of us. Why would you need to tell me?" She squeezed his hand in reassurance that he hadn't done wrong by her.

"Yeah, but when you left, that's when it hit me." He looked into her eyes. He had been waiting for this moment for nearly three years and, having found her, he wasn't going to waste any more time. "I realised it could have been more than that for me, sweets. But you'd gone by then…"

Lauren nodded, unsure of what to say. She was trying to make this go well for both of them but she still didn't know how she felt; she didn't know whether this could be more for her; she didn't know whether that was even possible, given their differences. Charlie didn't yet know about Elliot, and Elliot was her number one priority. The situation was complicated, and Lauren decided to steer the conversation away from feelings for now. "Well from what Hermione said, telling me you were a wizard wouldn't have been an option anyway…"

Charlie shook his head. When he had bounded up the shop stairs and into the flat, he had seen Hermione for approximately forty seconds. That was the time that it had taken her to greet him at the door, give him a hug, help him out of his backpack and lead him to the bottom of the roof staircase, urging him to not make himself or Lauren wait any longer. So he still had no idea how Hermione had got permission to tell Lauren about his magical status other than that Minerva McGonagall had advised and helped her. But knowing the ins and outs of that was hardly his priority and there would be plenty of time for him to find out how the two clever witches had managed it later.

"Well I'm still sorry, love." Charlie's voice cracked as he continued. "There's not a day when I haven't thought about you. Wished I'd realised how I felt before you left. You've turned me into a wuss, Lauren Bennett!"

Lauren raised her eyebrows at him but decided to save her comment on cultural masculinity norms for another day.

"I'm serious!" Charlie continued, rolling his eyes at her in jest. "I cried like a bloody baby after you left … I was worried I'd never see you again and I realised that I probably wouldn't ever find another woman who made me feel the way I felt when I was with you. We didn't have a single muggleborn on the reserve at that point so I had no-one to ask to help me. By the time I did, that Christmas, you had moved. Never stopped thinking about you, even when things got crazy. Cried all over Hermione a few weeks ago, because her whirlwind romance with my little brother brought all my memories of you flooding back…" He was brimming with emotion now, and it was hard to tell which way it was going to go.

"Oh, come here, you."

Lauren's motherly instinct took over and Charlie scooted forward into her offered arms. She leaned into his broad chest, still uncertain, but wanting to give him the comfort and reassurance of a hug. Lauren once more breathed in the scent of the man she thought she might never see again; the father of her child, though he still didn't know that. Charlie needed no further encouragement and threaded his fingers further into her hair as Lauren's heart swelled and she felt happy that he had finally come back into her life.

For her too, their romance had been a holiday fling, until time and circumstances had made her face the fact that she might feel something different for the man she had left behind in Romania. But was it love, or hormones, or merely the fact that they had made a baby together? If Lauren had known then what she knew now, she might have got back on a plane and sought him out so they could figure it out together, but regret wasn't going to help anyone now and she needed to move forward rather than dwell on what might have been.

Her body made it clear to her that she still wanted him physically, though. Possibly more than any other man she had ever known. And when Lauren pulled back and looked into Charlie's damp eyes again, she knew he was going to kiss her and that, even though it might not be the sensible path, she wasn't going to stop him. Just this once. So, as he had done the first time they had kissed, high in the Carpathian mountains, Charlie took both of her cheeks into his hands and pulled Lauren's face gently towards his, asking for permission with his eyes. Lauren moved her hands to the back of his neck and her fingers wove themselves into his hair as their lips met.

They both made a slight moaning sound as they reconnected after such a long time apart. Heads tilting, mouths slanting, they opened themselves to each other; tongues exploring and tangling; each remembering the feel and taste of the lover they hadn't been able to forget. One of Charlie's hands moved over Lauren's curves, exploring the seams of her dress and playing with the beads that hung near her breasts. The other never ceased cradling her cheek. Her fingers traced the hard muscles of Charlie's shoulders and back. He groaned, more loudly this time, as she stroked gently up and down his spine.

Whole minutes passed while they kissed and touched; hands everywhere and lips moving to necks and earlobes and collarbones before returning, more slowly, to meld their mouths back together. More relaxed now that they had gently marked each other with their touch and scent and taste, they settled softly together, moving to a corner of the bench and nestling close.

Lauren gave Charlie one last kiss before pulling back, knowing they needed to continue their conversation. She reached for his hand. "Hi," he said, as if seeing her again for the first time.

"Hello, gorgeous," she replied, folding her legs up on the bench beside her. "Thank you for the chocolates," she said, remembering the sweet note that he had sent her with the treats.

"You're welcome. Are you OK, love? How have you been?" His tone was soft. "There's so much I want to say to you, and ask you, and now I'm here I don't know where to start."

"I know, Charlie. But now you're here, it feels like we were never apart. There are big things I need to tell you too."

Charlie tipped his forehead to meet Lauren's. He looked deeply into her eyes.

"Can I go first?"

She nodded, moving her hand to his leg. "Of course." Given the bombshell that she was going to drop on him, Lauren thought, letting Charlie say whatever he needed to first really was the least she could do.

His eyes never left hers. "In case I haven't made it clear enough, I fell for you, Lauren Bennett. I don't know when it happened, but it did. It won't go away. I don't want it to. And I don't know if you can find space for me in your life, or whether you'd want to come to my world and share mine … I don't know if or how this could work, but I want it so much. I know I need to make it up to you, but please give me the chance to do that; I want to be with you."

"Charlie, I really like you too, and I'm so glad to have found you again. But it's complicated..."

His face fell. "I know, love. Sorry."

"There's more I need to tell you before we can make any decisions like that." She wanted to ease him into the news.

"You're not married though? Hermione said you weren't." Oh, please don't let there be another man, Charlie thought.

"No, I'm not married. No boyfriend, nothing like that."

"That's good, then. All I want is a chance at wooing you properly this time."

Lauren raised her eyebrows and smiled. "Don't you remember our late-night chats? About me not being the kind of woman who goes for all that?"

"Remember it?" Charlie chuckled softly. "I lectured Hermione on some of it before she got married. You'd have been proud of me, love!"

"I'm sure I would." Lauren was softly stroking his hand now, almost without realising, and Charlie took heart from that. "But you do realise this is exactly the kind of romantic scenario that I deconstruct in my lectures and warn people against believing in?"

A soft laugh, and then he leaned forward and kissed her lips, very softly. Pulling back, he whispered, "Is that so?"

"I can't go back to my students and tell them a gorgeous, magical dragon keeping wizard strode out of the mountains and carried me off into the sunset, can I?"

He kissed her again. "Maybe you should just come back to Romania with me then, and then you won't suffer the embarrassment of having to tell them you were wrong about fairytales and happy endings." This was the Charlie she remembered; bright, fun to banter with, easy to talk to. Oh, how she wanted him.

But it wasn't as straightforward as he made it sound. There was Elliot to consider, for a start. Not to mention the fact that Charlie was a wizard. Lauren pulled back and shook her head. "Charlie, I'm so sorry, but it's not that simple." She spoke quietly, as if to herself.

Charlie looked concerned. "What is it, love?"

Lauren sighed, and Charlie suddenly realised that she wasn't smiling anymore. "Well for a start, we live in two completely different worlds. How could that even work?"

Charlie wished Hermione hadn't stayed downstairs to give them space. As a muggle-born witch, she might be able to answer that better than him.

"Honestly, love? I don't exactly know. But I have to believe it can. I'll give up my wizard life and learn to live in your world if it's the only way, just as long as I can see my family. Or you could tell people you've moved abroad and then come back to visit your family and friends? I don't know..."

She sighed again. "I don't have much family nearby. And friends, well there are a few people, but that's not really the issue. Charlie … there's something you need to know. Something big. I have to tell you before we go any further. It complicates things, Charlie."

"What's that, love?" He looked concerned. Was she ill? Was she about to take a job abroad?

"Don't be worried; just let me get it out." She took better hold of his hand. "Charlie, that summer… When I got back home from Romania … I found out that I was pregnant…"

"Pregnant?" Charlie's eyes grew wide. "Did I get you pregnant?" Lauren nodded. "Oh fuck, love … oh gods … what happened?" His stomach churned in shock, his free hand flew to his hair and he started raking his fingers through it in worry.

"It's OK," Lauren reassured him, as she took a photo from her pocket, which she had put there ready to show to Charlie. "This happened, Charlie. This is Elliot … he's your son."

She paused, to check whether he was following along. After a moment or two in which he stared at the photo and seemed to be processing her words, Charlie looked directly into her eyes to check if he had understood correctly.

Lauren brought his hand into both of hers as she spoke again. "You're a dad, Charlie Weasley."

It took an age, and then Charlie breathed just one word. "Elliot?"

"Elliot Charles Bennett-Weasley." Lauren spoke slowly, searching his eyes to try to read his response. But this situation was so unique, so like any other that she had ever even imagined. She had spent endless nights wondering about how she would feel if she ever found Charlie again, and not one moment of that thinking and wondering time had prepared her for the confusing reality of sitting next to the man who had given her the son who was the tiny love of her life.

Charlie was stunned. "You gave him my name? Even though you must have thought I was a complete git for not getting in touch?" He shook his head in wonder.

"I needed to give him the only part of his dad that I could at the time." Her voice stayed soft; she was still piecing it all together herself, although she had had a bit more time to get her head around it as well as a great listener in Hermione. "I'll admit I wasn't certain of how I felt about you at the time. It was more that I hoped there would be a good reason for you not getting in touch. I thought I was being ridiculous, but I had to have hope to hang onto."

A decade's worth of emotions crossed Charlie's face in just a few seconds. They culminated in a combination of disbelief and joy. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you. This is..." His eyes were wide as he looked from her face to the photo and back again. "A son? Can I meet him? Where is he?"

Lauren couldn't read the emotion on Charlie's face, and was worried he might be angry that his family had met Elliot first. She nodded and swallowed. "He's here, Charlie."

Charlie looked around the rooftop garden, confused. Lauren's short laugh went some way to breaking the tension that had been building.

"No, silly, downstairs in the flat. He's with Fred, in the bedroom. I wanted to tell you myself."

Charlie's mouth opened. "Do they all know?" He had a sudden vision of his mother arriving, in full sail and ready to lecture him on his inappropriate behaviour.

Lauren shook her head. "No, he's only met Hermione and Fred. George and his girlfriend know about Elliot, but they haven't met him. Or me. Hermione met Elliot when she first came to meet me, of course; that couldn't be helped, and Fred and George knew before she even got back home because of the bond..."

Charlie nodded, trying to understand. "Yeah, of course…" It wasn't reasonable to be upset, he knew; the bond was still too new for Hermione and Fred to be able to fully control it. Heck, less than three weeks ago he had had to physically carry Hermione away while Bill stopped Fred from following because they couldn't control their connection well enough themselves. And Fred and George would never keep anything from each other.

Charlie tried to keep his focus on Lauren's words as she continued explaining. "We needed Fred to carry Elliot through the floo system and babysit so I could meet you, but George said it wasn't fair for anyone else to meet us before you, so he stayed out of the way. No-one else knows about Elliot. We've been really careful about that."

"It's OK," said Charlie reassuringly. "I understand. I'm not upset. I just … a son? Can I meet him? I really want to meet him."

"I really want that too. We need to talk about one thing though?"

He leaned closer to Lauren. "I'll do anything you ask, love…"

She smiled, wanting to ease the tension a little. "Really? You might want to be careful there, dragon boy…"

Charlie's eyes grew soft and his hand reached for hers. "Love, I have a lot to make up to you. I don't think I could say no to anything you asked, though I might need a bit of time to get my life straight first…"

Lauren's head tipped to one side as she looked into his eyes. "You and I, well … we need to work out what we both want and if our worlds could even meet, but we're grown-ups and we'll figure that out, in time."

Charlie murmured his agreement. He already knew exactly what he wanted with Lauren, and it began and ended with forever, but he could give her time to come to terms with his magical nature if that was what she needed.

"Charlie…" she continued, "please just promise me … if we tell Elliot you're his dad, you'll be there for him. I don't mean you need to see him all the time, especially with you working abroad, but promise me you won't start a relationship with him and then break it off. He's so well grounded. I don't want him confused or hurt by this. If you need more time to think about what you want, that's fine. We can just introduce you as Charlie and not tell him you're his dad yet."

Charlie drew Lauren towards him, his voice thick with emotion, "Please, you can tell him I'm his dad. Please… I promise, love. I have so much to make up to him … and you. I've got no intention of letting you go if there's anything I can do to keep you. I want to be a family, love, but whatever happens with us, I promise I'll be there for Elliot. I want to be his dad. Gods, I have a son! Please, love…"

"OK," she whispered back, squeezing his hand gently. "It's OK, Charlie. Let's go and see your boy…"


	36. Meeting Elliot

Charlie gave Lauren his hand to steady her as she stepped onto the top of the steep stairs, and he followed her back down to the flat. As she reached the bottom, Hermione came out of the kitchen and raised her eyebrows, silently asking Lauren if everything was OK. Lauren nodded and smiled. "We've come to introduce Charlie to his son," she told Hermione. Charlie stepped off the bottom stair and gave Hermione a big smile.

"Have I ever told you I love you?" he asked.

"You have now," she laughed, stepping into his arms to give him a hug. "I love you too. Are you OK?"

Charlie leaned in, though he spoke loudly enough that Lauren could still hear. "My head is spinning so fast I can't keep up with all of this but, yeah, I'm very OK."

"They're in the bedroom," Hermione smiled at them both and then directed her next words to Lauren. "Elliot keeps asking to have a sleepover in our bed tonight. Which is fine with us if you're alright with that, but we've told him he needs to ask you." She looked at her brother-in-law. "And of course he might change his mind once he's met Charlie..."

Lauren glanced between Hermione and Charlie. "I'm not sure what to say…"

"You don't have to decide now," replied Hermione, raising her hands to show that she wasn't trying to add any pressure. "I just wanted to let you know." She waved her arm toward the bedroom door. "Don't let me keep you…"

Lauren entered the room first. Elliot was sat on the floor in between Fred's long outstretched legs, his little back leaning against Fred's tummy. Fred had transfigured some sort of terrain out of quilts and pillows and was making a small herd of soft toys ramble over it with his wand, bossily shepherded by Graham the pygmy puff. Upon seeing Lauren and Charlie enter, Fred spoke softly in the boy's ear. "Hey bud, there's your mum. I'm going to get us a drink. You're in charge of Graham and the rabbits." Elliot leaned forward and nodded, his face serious with the responsibility that had been bestowed upon him.

Fred gave Charlie a quick brotherly hug as he left. Charlie hesitated a bit, until Lauren led him further into the room. Now that this rather unexpected moment had come, the usually confident dragon keeper wasn't sure what to do or say; he could only stare at Elliot in wonder. Lauren sat on the floor beside Elliot, crossing her legs and then patting the floor with her hand. Obediently, Charlie lowered himself to sit down on her other side.

"Mum!" Elliot was excited to see her.

"Elliot!" she used the same tone of voice and the toddler grinned. "How are you doing?"

"Good. Fred made a rabbit patch. That's Graham." He pointed to a small, moving ball of purple fluff. "And we read a book!"

"That's brilliant. Hello Graham. Are you having fun, then?"

"Yes. Can I sleep in here? Miney said I have to ask you."

"Maybe … I need to tell you something first though. And introduce you to someone important."

Elliot turned to look at Charlie, as if only just computing that someone else was in the room. The redhead was still staring at his son in wonder and amazement. The little boy looked so like him, and yet he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing. "Hello. Who are you?" Elliot asked.

"I'm Charlie," Charlie said, not quite finding his normal speaking voice.

"You look like Fred." Elliot turned and reached out a hand to redirect a rabbit on its journey.

Charlie smiled. "Well Fred's my brother. That might be why."

Elliot turned back towards Charlie and stared for a moment, taking that in and looking Charlie up and down. "You have hair like me and Fred."

Charlie fingered one of his own locks. "So I do, mate." He looked at Lauren, not quite sure where to take this. The emotion of meeting a son that he didn't even know about an hour ago was getting a bit much. Not for the first time that evening he hoped that his brother might have some firewhisky knocking about in the flat to calm the nerves that he couldn't seem to suppress, not to mention the tears that he could feel pricking at his eyelids. Gods, he could throw himself around confidently in the vicinity of a thirty-foot dragon and yet here he was feeling anxious in front of a small boy.

"Hey gorgeous boy, come here…" Lauren reached out her arms and Elliot crawled up onto her lap. She turned him so he faced her, and stroked his hair. "I have something important to tell you, lovely. There's a reason Charlie looks like you. It's because he's your daddy." She paused between each sentence to allow it to sink in. "He's been away for a while, helping … ummm…" she paused. It might not be a good plan to mention dragons for Elliot to announce to his friends back home, especially given his already well-developed love and knowledge of the animal kingdom. "Well he looks after big lizards, but for now he's here and he really wants to meet you."

"Like dinosaurs and dragons?" Elliot stared in amazement at Charlie, his wide eyes causing a smile to break out on his mother's face.

"Yes, I suppose a bit." She'd just have to tell people that he was exaggerating when he announced this to his friends next week.

"Wow!" Elliot's eyes grew even wider and he looked at Charlie, impressed. Then his little hand reached out to touch Charlie's face. "Why you crying?" he asked, with some surprise.

"I'm really happy to be meeting you, Elliot," Charlie told him, tentatively reaching towards the little boy's hand with his own. In response, Elliot leaned forward, holding both arms out to Charlie to be lifted off his mother's lap and onto Charlie's. Instinctively, Charlie did as his son bid, and scooped the little boy into his arms, holding him close to his chest. "Hi…" Charlie breathed in the scent of his son, his tears flowing freely now. Elliot rested his cheek on Charlie's chest and patted him reassuringly. Lauren scooted closer and put her own arms around them both.

"You're going to make me cry too, Charlie," she told him. Charlie's only response was to lift one arm and bring Lauren closer into his side. He kissed her cheek, and she snuggled her face into his neck, kissing Elliot as she did. "This is all a bit much, isn't it?!"

Charlie laughed and nodded and, for a few minutes, the little family just cuddled and held each other. Charlie stroked Elliot's hair, marvelling again at how much the little boy looked like him and feeling an overwhelming desire to just hold his son and feel his presence. Elliot's patience for that ran out after a couple of minutes though, and he pulled back slightly, looking into Charlie's eyes. "What colour are your dragons?" he asked, and Charlie gave a big, deep chuckle.

"Well…" He looked at Lauren for direction, realising that this might be hard for her to explain when they returned to their usual world. But she nodded and shrugged, letting Charlie know it was OK to answer. Elliot was already known amongst their friends to have a keen mind and an active imagination. She would figure out the explanations later. "Let me think. Some are grey, some are brown and some are green," he told his son.

"Are any purple, like Graham?" Elliot asked seriously, pointing to the pygmy puff.

Charlie considered that for a moment. "No, not that I've ever seen. Their colours help them to hide a bit, in the forest and the mountains. Purple wouldn't be very good for that."

"I see," Elliot said seriously. Then he touched Charlie's arm. "Do you want to meet my rabbit too?"

Lauren smiled at Charlie. "Only special people get an official introduction to Mr Rabbit."

Elliot scrambled off Charlie's lap to collect his rabbit and bring it back to show his father, climbing back up onto Charlie's legs to carry out formal introductions. Lauren took a deep breath; this had gone well so far. She tentatively picked up the little purple creature who was intent on following Elliot. "And this is Graham," Elliot told his dad, carefully taking the pygmy puff from his mother's hand and cradling it safely against his chest, just as Fred had taught him, so he could show Charlie.

"Elliot loves creatures of all kinds," Lauren explained. "I always suspected he inherited that trait from you…"

Charlie grinned down at her. "I'd say there's more than a chance of that, love." Turning back to his son, he felt the need to reassure him that he was staying around and would be in Elliot's future. "I could take you to see more animals sometime, if you like?"

"Yes!" Elliot liked very much.

Lauren smiled up at Charlie. "Well, now you're really won his heart."

There was a soft knock on the bedroom door. "May we come in yet, or do you need a bit longer?" Fred asked, opening it just a tiny bit.

"Of course you can come in; it's your bedroom," said Lauren, smiling widely.

"Yes, but it's your moment," replied Hermione, who appeared behind Fred with a tray of champagne glasses. For Lauren's sake, she had decided to carry rather than levitate them. "We don't want to intrude but we had this in the fridge, left over from our wedding and we thought maybe you might like to celebrate this moment … and also we reckoned the two of you could probably use a drink…"

Charlie rolled his eyes before he wiped them. "Seriously, you are the best sister-in-law ever!"

"Well this one was Fred's idea; I just carried the tray!" Hermione squatted down so that Charlie and Lauren could take a glass each. She had brought another for Elliot; a transfigured plastic champagne flute filled with sparkling water, so that he also had bubbles, and Fred took it from the tray and helped the little boy to hold it. Elliot gave him the biggest smile. It was clear that he had inherited the friendliness and exuberance of both his parents.

"He's my daddy," he told Fred proudly, patting Charlie's chest again and bringing fresh tears to the older man's eyes.

"That is so great," said Fred, a bit close to tears himself as he took his own glass in his other hand. "You'll be able to go to the park with him." He leaned down and gave his brother a quick squeeze around the shoulders.

Elliot nodded. "We're going to see animals." Not needing a response from Fred, Elliot leaned forward to take a sip of his drink and then sneezed.

Lauren tried not to laugh too much, but the sheer relief that she felt tumbled out in a relieved chuckle. "Not sure you've had fizzy water before…"

"I want to make a toast," said Hermione, putting the tray on the floor as she raised her glass. "To family…"

Fred slipped his arm around her as Lauren and Charlie looked at each other before meeting Fred and Hermione's eyes in turn and toasting each other. "To family…"

"I still want to sleep with Fred and Miney," Elliot told Charlie seriously. "And Graham."

"Graham's the real draw, it's got bugger all to do with us…" Fred whispered to his brother.

"OK," Charlie laughed. He reached forward and touched his son's cheek with his fingers, still not quite believing what was happening. He understood that they needed to focus on Elliot's needs, not his own. "I'm cool with that, but your mum's in charge."

Lauren looked at Charlie. She felt much more relaxed now than she had an hour ago. They still had a lot to discuss, but thus far it had gone well. The idea of an evening of takeaway and wine now sounded really good. And after that? She had no idea. The thought of spending the night in Charlie's arms while Elliot stayed with Fred and Hermione was beyond appealing on a physical level. But Lauren knew that probably wasn't a good idea. She wasn't entirely sure it was fair to have kissed him on the roof, but there was no sense spending energy on regret. Charlie was clearly ready to commit to a relationship right now, but Lauren wasn't sure if and how that could work. But then, if she didn't talk to Charlie about it, she would never figure that out, and she was being offered the perfect chance to begin that conversation.

"Is that what you'd like?" she checked with Elliot, who nodded seriously. She made up her mind and mimicked Charlie's tone. "OK then. We'll see how you feel at bedtime, but I'm cool with it if it's really OK with Hermione and Fred."

"We'd love to," said Hermione. "Just be aware that George will be over for breakfast first thing tomorrow. Ange works on a Saturday and he's in the habit of coming here. He's desperate to meet you both, though."

"I'd love to meet him too," said Lauren. "If there really are that many of you then it'll be easier to get everyone's names straight if I meet one new person at a time."

"I'll find you a Weasley family photo," promised Fred, "and you can swot up ahead of time. Though you'll recognise George without; he's the one who's just an ear less good looking than me!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Lauren, Fred and I are going out for a walk to get dinner in a bit."

After their toast, Hermione and Fred had left the three of them alone again, but Hermione wandered back into the bedroom a while later once she saw that Charlie was carrying Elliot up to the roof to show him the view and see if they could spot any early evening bugs on the flowers. She began collecting up the champagne glasses – again by hand, so as not to overface Lauren with too much magic all at once – and setting rabbits back in the corner of the room, careful to pick Elliot's special bunny up and tuck him into the bed. She didn't want to cast a finite and transfigure the other rabbits back into whatever Fred had made them from just yet, for fear of freaking out their visitors. "You could join us if you liked, or all stay here, or we could take Elliot if you and Charlie want a bit more time to chat alone? Fred's good with kids; he's had lots of practice."

Lauren nodded. "I can see that. I'll check with Charlie but I think Elliot would love an outing, and if I give him a wash and put him into his PJs first, he'd probably drop off in his carrier. It's not far off his bedtime anyway."

"Great. If Fred carries him, there's no chance Elliot will get cold; Fred's a human radiator!"

A short while later, they were all set. Charlie had agreed that it would be good for he and Lauren to have a bit more time to talk together and, back in the living room, Lauren helped Fred put Elliot's carrier on and the freshly washed, pyjama-clad Elliot in. The little boy – who had loved having his dad help him have a bath and get ready for bed – wanted to face his other new redheaded friend and settled down with one pudgy hand curled around the straps of his carrier while he patted Fred's shoulder with the other. "Gee up, Freddie," he was saying, kicking his feet back and forth, keen to go on his next adventure.

"You get to ride a bit higher than usual tonight, lovely!" Lauren said to her son as she stood on tiptoes to say goodbye. Fred was more than a foot taller than her, and he bent down to allow Elliot to lean over and give his mum a kiss. She wondered whether she should suggest that he kiss Charlie too, torn between encouraging their relationship and allowing Elliot to take it at his own pace, when Elliot himself made a decision.

"Bye, Daddy!" he said to Charlie, opening and closing his fingers in a wave. Charlie made the same movement with his own hand; Elliot addressing him in that way was more than enough for now. Not for the first time that evening, Lauren was grateful that Elliot had always been so open to new friends; had he been a shy child, things could have gone very differently. Still, she mused, he had his moments and Charlie would no doubt get to experience a full-blown temper tantrum before too much more time had passed.

"Good practice, eh?" Charlie teased Fred as they left, before turning back to Lauren. Fred winked. He was more than ready for fatherhood, and the only thing holding him back was his love for Hermione and the knowledge that she needed more time. Hermione was secretly rather enjoying playing families too, though, and she took Fred's hand so they could all walk together.

"Do you need money?" Lauren asked Fred, as they started for the door.

Fred grinned and shook his head. "Your money won't work where we're going," he teased. "You said you were up for trying magical fish and chips, right?"

"Oh." Lauren didn't know what to say to that, and Charlie reached into his pocket, but Hermione stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"We'll get it, Charlie, don't be silly. You can treat us next time."

Charlie nodded and the three set off for the fish and chip shop, but Hermione stopped Fred halfway through the joke shop. "Fred, do you think I should cast a notice-me-not charm over you? If we walk down Diagon Alley like this, with a redheaded child, it'll be all over tomorrow's Prophet and Mum'll be trying to floo over to the flat before we've even woken up."

"I knew it was a good idea to marry a witch with a brain like yours," Fred stood still so that Hermione could cast the spell on him. Elliot would be hidden too as a result, but they didn't want to use magic on him directly without first asking Lauren. Suitably cloaked, they decided to take the long way round in order to give Charlie and Lauren plenty of time to chat.

Back in the flat, Charlie sat down and patted the space beside him on the sofa. "How are you doing, sweets?"

"Honestly? It's all completely surreal and I think I may have lost my mind, but you're all lovely people and I'm warm and I've been promised chips and more wine, so I don't care. It's nice and cosy here, in my delusion. What about you, though, Charlie? You're the one who's become an instant father…" Lauren sat down, tucking her feet up underneath her again (for they wouldn't reach the floor anyway) and settling back into the corner of the sofa.

"I know what you mean. A few hours ago, I was at home and in my normal life, which I admit is not very normal to most people even in my world, by the way, but it's all I know, and now not only has my wildest dream come true in finding you again, but I've discovered I'm a dad..."

Lauren gave a soft laugh. "You've got a new son in your life, I've got a crazy dragon keeping wizard in mine." She went silent, her brain trying to run three different trains of thought at once.

"Talk to me, draga mea…" She had forgotten the Romanian term of endearment that he used to use in the deep of the night, when they had lain together and looked up at the stars. It always sounded so sexy when he said it in his deep voice, and her thoughts drifted back to her last night in Romania; the night on which she was fairly sure they had conceived their baby boy.

"I'm fine, Charlie. It's all a bit … big, but I've handled a lot over the past few years and we'll be ok."

"I like the sound of the 'we'."

She turned to face him. Charlie nearly leaned in to kiss her again, but he saw the serious look on her face and pulled back. "Charlie, I need some time to process this. I'm sorry, because I know you want to dive in, but I need to think about what this all means for Elliot, and … and the whole wizard world thing is quite a lot to take, to be honest."

"OK…" Charlie wasn't sure where this was going yet, but he was going to listen hard and make sure he didn't miss his chance. "Tell me more, love. Just talk to me; you can say whatever you want. I want to be here for you, no matter what."

Lauren's eyes flickered with so many emotions that Charlie couldn't read them. "That's the trouble, Charlie. I don't know what I want. I mean, I do know some things, but I'm really conflicted."

"Go on, love," he encouraged, when she paused.

"I can't deny I still want you physically, Charlie." Her hand reached to settle on his leg. "I've never stopped feeling that way about you. But I don't know if it's fair to be with you in that way if you want something more and I'm not yet sure. And you're Elliot's dad, so I want you in our lives; to see him as much as you want and have a relationship with us. I just don't know how to go about bridging the two, or how it could work…"

Charlie had forgotten how much he loved to listen to Lauren analysing things. He held her hand, giving her space, knowing that she would continue chatting it through to herself if he let her.

"Would making a commitment be such a bad thing?" he asked gently.

"You didn't want that before, though; why do you want it now?"

Charlie shrugged. "Like I told you on the roof. After you left, I realised you had taken my heart with you. I wanted you before I knew about Elliot and now I want to help raise my son too. I want to make more babies with you, for us to be a family. I'm all in, whatever it takes, however long you need. Your world or mine, or both; we'll figure it out." Charlie had never felt so seriously about anything. He had been calculating possibilities and considering options ever since Hermione had told him that Lauren was alive, found and likely still single. And since hearing about Elliot, his processing had further increased. "But I'm not going to pressure you, sweets. It was me that left you in the lurch, albeit not intentionally, so I hardly have the right to call the shots…"

"It's not about that, Charlie." Lauren shook her head, looking a bit upset at his comment. "You know I'm not into game playing and point scoring and all that crap."

"I do," he said. "I wasn't meaning to suggest that, love."

"I know." She took a deep breath.

"How did you feel about me when you found out you were pregnant?" Part of him was afraid to hear the answer, but he wanted to know.

"So conflicted…" There was a long pause, and Charlie again held space for her to think. When she continued, her voice was quiet. "I got home and … I thought I had fallen for you, and at first I was really cross with myself. I had only gone there to get a decent break before I went back into a new research project. Which I then had to rejig because I found out I was pregnant, which made me wonder if it was just the hormones that made me feel that way."

Charlie winced. He really hoped that was not her final conclusion.

"Some nights I laid awake wishing I was back in your arms. Some nights I felt really cross with you for not having got in touch and because I couldn't find you to tell you. Mostly I just felt so much love for our baby and I didn't even know how I felt about you anymore. I was confused, Charlie, because my work is all about stories and I didn't know what to make of our story. I didn't know how I would tell it to Elliot when the time came, because I didn't know whether I would ever find out the ending."

Tears were running down Lauren's face now. "I couldn't reconcile the loving, lovely man who made me feel so good and who I was sure would phone me up out of the blue one day and invite me for a drink – just as friends, sure, but that would be a great basis to be parents, I reckoned – with … with the man who just disappeared and couldn't be found and who made me wonder who he really was..." She took a deep breath, trying to control her voice. "Charlie, I don't know what I think or feel and I don't know how to suddenly make sense of it and I'm sorry, but on top of all of this you're all telling me you're a bloody dragon keeper and my child is a wizard and I just don't have a frame of reference for any of it." She gave a deep sigh.

There was only one thing that Charlie could do. He stood, reached down, picked Lauren up and sat back down with her cuddled in his arms. Rocking her gently, he whispered into her ear, "I'm so sorry, love. It will be OK, I promise, I'll help you in any way you need it, and no pressure from me at all."

"No, I'm sorry…" Lauren tried to sit up and compose herself, but Charlie cradled her and made soft, back-of-the-throat roaring noises of the kind that he used on his dragons. "What are you doing, Charlie?"

"I'm reassuring you, sweets…"

She laughed despite her tears. "Is that noise reassuring for dragons?"

"Yup. The baby ones especially. Is it working for you?"

"Only because it's so weird that it took my mind off everything else!"

"Hey, success is success, whatever the route..."

"Let me sit up and get a tissue, Charlie."

"OK, but let me." He produced a clean hanky from his own pocket and handed it to her, remembering the night, just a couple of weeks ago, when he had comforted Hermione after her pre-wedding nightmare. It seemed so long ago, and so much had happened since then. Was life ever going to progress at a normal pace again?

As Lauren wiped her eyes and blew her nose, they heard the faint jangling noise which indicated that Fred, Hermione and Elliot had re-entered the shop, giving them only a couple more minutes of alone time.

"Love, how about we talk more later? I really want to help you figure it out, and I promise not to put pressure on you."

"OK, but if you and I spend the night together here then everyone's going to think we're a thing, including Elliot, and I don't want that pressure for either of us."

"That was never the plan. I'm sleeping on the sofa, love, or I'll go to my mum and dad's if you'd prefer." She raised her eyebrows and Charlie rushed to reassure her. "I camp out all the time for work, and you should see the house Fred and I grew up in; it's like musical beds … I can sleep anywhere."

Lauren nodded. "It's not that I don't want you physically, Charlie…"

"I know, love." He grinned. "I'm pretty hard to resist!"

Lauren raised her eyebrows and met Charlie's gaze with a smile. "I remember…" Oh fuck; she needed to resist the temptation to flirt with him. But sitting in his lap, feeling his familiar body next to hers, it was so hard – no pun or reminder intended – to do that. Sighing, Lauren hoped she could soon reconcile the complex feelings she had for this man and her concerns about whether and how their worlds could ever merge.


	37. Fish, chips and kisses

As good as it felt to be cuddled in Charlie's arms, Lauren put her confused feelings aside and slipped off his lap as the door to the flat opened and Hermione and Fred walked in. Hermione closed the door softly behind them and they each put a bag onto the table.

"He's fast asleep," Fred whispered. "Even the shop doorbell didn't wake him … I didn't think to turn it off." He sat down on the other end of the sofa so that Lauren could see. Charlie tipped his head in wonder as he watched his little boy sleeping on his brother's chest, thumb firmly in his mouth. He still hadn't fully processed the fact that he had a son. Fleetingly, he wondered what Molly's reaction to the news would be, and then pushed that thought down. He had enough to contend with tonight.

"He was already dropping off as we got to the Cauldron. We gave him a few chips so he wouldn't wake up hungry. He's been asleep on Fred for a while," Hermione whispered to Lauren.

"Good thinking … he'll probably go through most of the night now," said Lauren, moving next to Fred so she could slide the little boy out of his carrier and onto her own chest without waking him.

"Thanks, Fred," she told the much taller wizard when he held onto the straps and leaned toward her to make her job easier. "Now, do you really want him with you? He might wake and want me in the night?"

Hermione looked at Fred and then back at Lauren. "What do you think? He mentioned it again while we were out. I don't mind bringing him to you if he wakes and needs you…"

Lauren shrugged. "Let's try it then. I like to let him make his own decisions when he can, and he's been pretty clear about this one..." Both she and Hermione turned towards Fred and Hermione's room.

"Can I come?" asked Charlie.

"Of course," Lauren said. "He'll not wake now; he's a good sleeper these days. Which is only fair, since he woke me up every couple of hours around the clock when he was a baby!"

The four of them went into Fred and Hermione's bedroom and settled the little boy in the centre of the big bed, next to his rabbit. Charlie smiled to see Fred and Hermione's bonding cord tied to the bed, and he caught Lauren looking at it too, no doubt wondering if it had significance. She didn't ask though, imagining that it might well be a private thing between magical couples.

Fred set up an extendable ear so that they would hear Elliot if he woke, putting the remote part behind his own ear and explaining to Lauren how it worked. "We modified them to work remotely for Georgie, after he lost his ear," he said. "Sometimes he needs a bit of extra help. It's a bit like a hearing aid, but he prefers to pretend it's still a joke product, and I can go along with that." Fred then scooped Graham up in his hand, allowing the little purple furball to get into the bed with Elliot as well. "Don't get used to it, though," he warned, pointing a long finger at the tiny, wide-eyed pygmy puff as he snuggled next to Elliot. "When you're over that cold, you'll be back down in the shop with the other puffs again."

Hermione seriously doubted that Fred would make good on that threat. He seemed to be rather attached to Graham, and even Crookshanks accepted him as a family member and not something to chase, but time would tell. She noticed that Charlie was looking wistfully at Lauren and decided it was high time that she checked how he was doing. "Charlie, can you come and help me with the food in the kitchen? Fred, maybe you and Lauren could nip up and see whether you think it's still warm enough to eat on the roof or if you'd prefer to enlarge the coffee table and eat in the living room?"

Thank Merlin for the bond. It allowed Hermione to signal to Fred that she wanted a bit of time to check in with Charlie, and he got that message loud and clear. Offering Lauren a hand onto the first of the stairs, he took their new friend up onto the roof and decided that she should have a three hundred and sixty degree explanation of everything that they could see, magical and muggle.

"This is new," teased Charlie, as he followed Hermione into the kitchen. "Last time I saw you and my brother, I had to carry you away to prevent you from publicly jumping his bones."

Hermione laughed. "We're getting used to the bond … and we spent a week pretty much wrapped around each other on our honeymoon, so that helped a lot … it's much more manageable now!"

"You sure you can cope with a night with the little guy in between you, though?"

"Course we can, Charlie. It's important for you and Lauren to have some space, we know." She started levitating plates out of the cupboards and onto a tray. "And," she added in a quieter voice, "Fred loves kids but I'm not quite ready, so it's great to have a nephew to borrow to keep him entertained!"

Charlie nodded, watching as Hermione added glasses, napkins and the salt and vinegar shakers to the tray. Frowning to try and work out what else they needed, she opened the fridge and reached for more condiments, which she handed to Charlie. Then she turned her gaze on her brother-in-law, speaking in a soft voice.

"How's it going? And how are you doing?"

Charlie shrugged. "I'm OK, lovely. It was big enough to see Lauren again, and then massive to suddenly find out I'm a dad, but I'll get there. I just hope I can do right by him."

"You will, Charlie. You'll be a great dad."

"I hope so."

"And what about Lauren?"

Charlie paused before answering. "We kissed on the roof … it was amazing. Like no time had passed. But she doesn't know what she wants; she says she needs to figure it all out."

Hermione stepped forward and wound her arms around Charlie's waist. He leaned his chin onto her shoulder, allowing himself a deep sigh.

"I don't know if she wants me, love. She says she still likes me in a physical sense and she wants me to be there for Elliot, but she's worried our worlds are too different."

"Oh, Charlie." Hermione had hoped it would be more straightforward but, if she was honest, she wasn't surprised. Lauren had only known about the existence of the wizarding world for a couple of days and, although Charlie's feelings had grown in the time that they had been apart, their initial relationship had been a physical one without any promises of more. Hermione squeezed Charlie in a tight hug, wanting to convey love and support to him, and he got the message, squeezing her back. He held onto her and took some deep breaths, allowing her steady presence to calm him, and he would probably have held her for longer except for Fred's voice interrupting them as he called through the roof hatch.

"We've decided it's nice enough to eat up here, but we're getting hungry. If you two are going to keep faffing about down there, can you send us the wine up, love? And maybe the olives; they're in the fridge…"

"Don't move," said Hermione, stopping Charlie with a touch on his arm. "I'll be right back." She searched the fridge for the olives and popped them on the wooden tray. Then, picking up the bag of wine in one hand and using her wand to levitate the tray with the other, she sent both on their way through the roof hatch and up into Fred's waiting hands. "If you and Lauren can open the wine and set the table, we'll be up soon with the rest of the food."

"Red, white or pink?" Fred asked Lauren, taking over the levitation and offering her an olive before arranging everything on the table. We didn't know what you liked, so we got one of each. Or there's butterbeer if you prefer?" He reached for a large olive and popped it into his mouth.

"How very decadent!" smiled Lauren. "I'll have pink, please. I always think pink's nice on a summer evening."

"That's very romantic of you," grinned Fred. "Charlie's a lucky wizard."

Lauren's face fell a bit. "I don't know about that, Fred." She spoke quietly as he poured them both a glass of wine. Lauren took hers from him with a nod of thanks and the took a sip before continuing. "I don't know if I can give him what he wants…"

"Oh fuck, I'm sorry love," Fred was embarrassed. "I have this habit of speaking before I think and putting my foot in it." He touched her arm. "I didn't mean anything by it…"

"I know, Fred; it's OK. You've not said anything wrong. It's just that this is all a bit sudden for me." She swept her arm around the roof garden. "This … this is all everyday for you … levitating wine onto the roof and disappearing in a twist and making sparks come out of your wands. That's great. I am awed by your world and by what you can all do." She reached for another olive; glad of something familiar. "It's very new for me, though, and I'm not sure how to make sense of it, and whether I can fit into it."

She gazed at the horizon before looking back at Fred. "Which is a bit ironic, because I'm an anthropologist, so I'm used to making sense of different cultures, but usually I at least know a bit before I study something. This time, I didn't even know there WAS a wizarding culture, let alone that I had spent a summer and made a baby with someone who belonged to it. And now, well there's the question of grandparents, and whether Charlie and I can make a life together and how I am going to cope with a child who can do magic and … do you know, Fred, I am genuinely one of the most open-minded people I know, and yet this is completely doing my head in!"

Fred looked a bit stunned as understanding dawned. He shifted from one foot to the other, wanting badly to help but, having gained insight into how weird the situation was for Lauren, he was unsure what he could say that would make any difference.

But then it came to him. "Right, love," he said, reaching into his robes. "This I can do." He put his wand down on the table and showed her his palms. "Other than the ear," he indicated the side of his head, "this will be a no magic dinner. I'll make 'Mione and Charlie give up their wands when they come up. That's the least we can do."

A smile broke out on Lauren's face. In just that one gesture, Fred had reminded her of one of the main reasons that she hadn't freaked out three years ago when she first found out that her child would be inheriting Charlie Weasley's genes. He, and clearly this brother, were kindness personified, not to mention creative in their desire to help her to adjust. "You're very thoughtful, Fred."

He gave a quick bow of his head before grinning at Lauren. "Can you do me a favour and tell my mum that when you meet her? You won't miss her; she's the one who'll be telling me off."

That time, Lauren managed a laugh. "That will be my pleasure."

"And…" he spoke slowly, thinking his words through and not wanting to say the wrong thing. "Look, I do put my foot in it a lot, love, so this might be a crap thing to say - though, actually, just so you know, I am a fucking world class diplomat compared to our youngest brother Ron – but can I make an observation?"

"Please do, Fred," she said. "I'm open to any words of wisdom, crap or otherwise." Lauren took another sip of her wine.

"Well I know I'm a bit younger than you and not very experienced and all that, but I've been married to a bit of a worrier myself for three weeks now, so I've got some understanding … and it seems to me you might be thinking a bit too much." He checked her face and, when she continued to look interested and not unhappy, he carried on. "I mean, you don't need to know tonight how it's going to work for the rest of your life. You just need to decide whether you'll stay on pink wine or move onto something else. How many bits of fish. Ketchup or mayo. Whether you want to sit next to Charlie or me or 'Mione. Just figure out the small stuff; the rest will come in time. Otherwise it's going to do your head in."

Lauren's eyes had softened. "Do you think Hermione would mind if I hugged you?" she asked Fred.

"Nah; she can sense my feelings so she'll know we're just being friendly," he reassured her, opening his arms for her to step into. He realised that he needed to reach down a bit as well, as the top of her head barely reached halfway up his chest. "See, this is why it's a good job you met the shortest Weasley," he teased her.

She laughed. "Thank you, Fred," she said to his chest. "I really needed to hear that."

"Hear what?" asked Charlie, as he and Hermione climbed onto the roof.

"Oh, just some secrets about you that I thought Lauren had better know sooner rather than later," Fred joked, giving Lauren one last squeeze before releasing her. "Put your wands down there, please." He pointed to the wooden tray that was still holding the napkins and condiments as well as his own wand.

"Huh?" Charlie looked confused.

"Well…" Fred looked at Lauren.

"You can tell them; I don't want to have secrets from Charlie or Hermione," she reassured him.

"Well Lauren's finding it a bit hard to adjust to all our wizardy craziness, so I'm declaring this a muggle evening. Wands on the tray and we'll behave like so-called normal people for once."

Charlie and Hermione obeyed, and they spent a couple of minutes deciding who would sit where, but Fred's inability to hide his desire to snuggle Hermione made the decision easier, and Charlie and Lauren ended up on the bench across from them. Fred took more wine orders and made a big show of manually pouring wine and handing Charlie and Hermione their glasses before unwrapping and sharing out the fish and chips, also by hand.

As they settled onto their bench, Charlie looked at Lauren questioningly, to check she was OK with that arrangement. She touched his leg and nodded. "I'm feeling a bit better, Charlie. Your brother's very wise. He helped me see that I don't have to have all the answers right now. Or overthink things. I just need to decide how many bits of fish I want."

Hermione laughed. "That sounds like a very Fred thing to say!"

Charlie reached out his arm, raising his eyebrows in a question. Lauren accepted his offer of a cuddle with a smile and curled up against his side. "That's good then."

Lauren raised her glass. "Here's to new friends. And adjusting to new cultures."

They clinked glasses before diving into their food. Fred kept them all entertained by telling the story of an escaped pygmy puff who George had had to chase around Diagon Alley for a good half hour earlier in the week, and then they caught up with Charlie's news from the reserve. Although he tried to tone down the magical parts of his adventures, Lauren's eyes kept widening in wonder when things slipped out. "Shall I stop, love?" he asked on more than one occasion.

"No," she reassured him. "I want to learn about your real life, not just the muggled-down version you shared with me before…"

Fred laughed loudly at her phrase and Charlie opened his mouth to apologise again, but Lauren nudged him with her shoulder. "I'm just teasing, you big old silly ... tell me more about what your home is like…"

As he had promised, Fred ran downstairs after they had licked and wiped the last of the fish and chips from their fingers and returned with one of the still photos from their wedding which had been taken for Hermione's parents. It showed the entire Weasley family and their significant others and he stood behind Lauren and talked her through it. "You already know Charlie, me and 'Mione. That's Georgie, of course, and Mum and Dad. Angelina goes out with George, Bill has the ponytail and he's with Fleur who is French and very badass despite appearances, just so you know," Lauren smiled, wondering if he was expecting her to remember all of this, especially after three glasses of wine. Fred continued to point. "And then Percy and Penelope, Ginny and Harry and then Ron, who prefers to be called Ronnikins."

"Fred," warned Hermione, laughing."

"Well OK, but you should totally call him that when it's just us."

"Ron and Harry and I were in the same school year together; that's how we originally all got to know each other," Hermione explained.

"Saved the world, they did," Fred said, proudly looking at his wife. Lauren looked a bit startled.

"Do you think that should perhaps go on the list of things to save for later?" Hermione pulled a face at him. They were working on getting Lauren to feel relaxed and detailing the craziness of the last few years of their lives probably wasn't the best way to do that.

"Sorry, love." Fred gave Hermione a contrite look and Charlie chuckled. "Long story, which we'll tell you another day. All good now; nothing to see here."

"We do need to have a bit of a chat about what to do about them though…" Hermione pulled an equally apologetic face at Charlie as she said that. She didn't want to be the one to raise it, but it needed saying. "The family, I mean. Because we're probably on safe ground until the morning on the basis that you two have only just met up again, so we don't need to make any decisions tonight, but those of us who know about our newest family members are going to be given hell if you don't tell them soon and they find out that we knew…"

"Shit," breathed Charlie. "You're right." He looked at Lauren. "It wouldn't have been as much of an issue if it was just you and me, love, but…" He broke off, imagining Molly and Arthur's reactions to the news that they had a grandson."

Fred nodded. "George'll be here first thing, though he already knows, of course."

Hermione reached her hand across the table towards Lauren's. "You don't need to make a decision tonight. I was just meaning, well it's something we need to think about in the morning."

"I'd love to meet them," said Lauren, looking at Charlie. "And I understand. I don't want to get off on the wrong foot with them by keeping it from them. I just wanted to tell Charlie about Elliot first, and we've done that now. Tell them tomorrow, and I'd like to meet them if they'd like that. And Elliot loves meeting people, as you can probably tell." She looked wistful for a moment. "I'm not sure he really understands what grandparents are though, just so you know … both my parents died before he was born."

Charlie scooped her closer when he heard that. "He'll be the apple of their eye, love; you can't even imagine…"

"Where do they live?" Lauren asked. "And how would we get there if we visited? Would we floo, or should we go to mine and get my car?"

"Devon," said Fred. "And any of those, or we could try you at apparition." He winked, remembering what Hermione had said about Lauren wanting to save apparition until she knew them a bit better. "You've eaten and drunk and hugged with me now, so it's OK to throw up on me, yes?" he teased. "Though now you've got Charlie here, you could go with him instead…" He was about to crack the twins' usual joke about Charlie having had to take his apparition test a second time because he had landed on an elderly woman a few miles from his intended destination when Hermione sent a sensation through the bond to warn him. Nodding, he shut his mouth again; it would be unkind to add a layer of doubt to Lauren's slowly growing confidence in the magical world.

Lauren did look a bit uncertain about the magical transportation options. "Can we decide that tomorrow as well?" she asked Charlie.

"Of course, love. Tonight is just about fish and fun, though I'm wondering if I'm allowed to have my wand back and cast a warming charm if we're staying up here?"

Hermione murmured in agreement. "It has got a bit nippy. Although," she looked at Fred, sending another non-verbal message through the bond to explain her next words, "I'm feeling quite tired myself, so I might turn in after we've cleared up here."

Fred got the message that she wanted to give Charlie and Lauren some more time alone. "Yeah, I'll come with you, love. I didn't get a chance to tell you in all the excitement, but Kings sent a letter over today to explain his plan for the next few weeks, so we could read that together before we go to sleep."

"Good idea, sweetheart," Hermione said as she stood from the table.

"Thank you." Lauren looked from one to the other. "I feel so much better."

"It's probably the wine," Fred said, with a lopsided grin. He had been deliberately topping up her glass in the hope of helping her stay in the moment.

Lauren laughed, turning to Charlie. "These other four brothers of yours are going to have to be pretty amazing to knock Fred off the top of my favourites list."

"See," said Fred to Hermione. "At last! Someone appreciates me!"

"Lots of us appreciate you," Hermione told him calmly, patting his hand. "But we know your ego's quite big already so we try not to tell you very often."

When Lauren stood from the bench, she realised that, actually, the wine had affected her more than she thought. The anticipation of seeing Charlie again and telling him about Elliot had curbed her appetite and she hadn't eaten much during the day. Charlie saw her swaying a little, and took her arms gently in his hands. "Steady, love, let me help you."

"We've got this," Fred told his brother, and he cleared the table quickly as Charlie helped Lauren down the stairs.

"I should check on Elliot," she said, and they tiptoed to Hermione and Fred's bedroom door, opening it quietly to see their little boy tucked up in the bed. He was sleeping soundly with his rabbit under his arm and Graham sitting on his head, keeping watch. The little pygmy puff squeaked in excitement when he saw Charlie and Lauren moving towards the bed and Charlie smiled.

"Settle down," he whispered, scratching the little purple creature's head before returning his gaze to Elliot. "I can't believe we made a baby," he said.

Lauren breathed out a quiet laugh. "That's real magic, right?!"

"Too right," Charlie replied.

They turned and smiled at each other and Lauren tipped her face towards Charlie. "Do you want to join me in George's bed tonight?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Tempting as that is, love, I don't think it's a good idea…"

"Seriously?" she frowned, finding it hard to believe that he was turning her down.

"I'd love to join you," he whispered into her ear. "And make you feel good all night. But the only thing that's changed since we decided that that wasn't a good plan is that you're full of wine, love, so I feel it my duty to be the grown up and say I'll stick to plan A and sleep on the sofa." He began to lead her from the room and towards George's bedroom door. "If that offer's still open tomorrow, I'll get into any bed of your choice and stay there as long as you want me to. Right now," he kissed her cheek tenderly, "I'm kissing you goodnight before my hormones start a war with my gentlemanly reason."

Lauren smiled. "OK, but would you give me a proper goodnight kiss? I won't regret that in the morning, I promise."

Charlie bent his head and their lips met. He had intended to keep it gentle, but that idea went out of the window as soon as Lauren found his tongue with her own. She tasted of wine and salt and forever, and it took everything Charlie had to retain control of his desire and not scoop her into his arms and carry her to her bed.

Fred and Hermione watched them quietly from the kitchen. "Do you think they have a chance?" Fred asked his wife in a whisper.

"I hope so. I think so," she said. "Charlie understands that she needs time to adjust, and I think she's got more chance than most of adapting to our world if she wants to."

"It does look like she wants him…" Fred chuckled. He would have added more, but Hermione pulled him quietly to their bedroom, so as to not disturb the snogging couple. A few minutes later, as she and Fred were re-reading Kingsley's letter over the head of their tiny sleeping nephew, they heard the soft click of George's bedroom door and then Charlie's footsteps padding back to the sofa on which Fred had left a quilt and pillow for him.

"We should say nox and go to sleep, love," Fred said, snuggling down on one side of Elliot.

"Mmmmm." Hermione leaned over to collect a goodnight kiss before she settled down herself. "Are you tired?"

"Not massively," said Fred. "But if more Weasleys are going to find out about our little man tomorrow, I want to be well-rested so I can enjoy the fun!"

Hermione laughed softly, stroking Elliot's hair with one finger and then reaching her hand under the pillow so that she could entwine her fingers with Fred's while they slept.


	38. An eventful morning begins

Elliot woke at 5.53am and was delighted to see that Graham had remained faithfully beside him throughout the night.

"Miney!" He called to his sleeping aunt, patting her face until she opened her eyes. "Graham's awake!"

"Good morning, Elliot!" she reached her arm out slowly and tickled his little tummy. "And good morning Graham!" She scratched the pygmy puff's head with a finger. "Did you both sleep well?"

"Yes, and I had dragon dreams!" he told her seriously.

"What happened in those?" Fred's early morning voice was deep and a bit rough from sleep, but Elliot didn't notice.

"Fred!" He turned over and greeted his uncle happily. "I went flying on a dragon with my daddy! Can I see him again?"

"Your dad?" asked Hermione? "Yes, of course … I'll take you to find him now." Gathering the little boy into her arms, Hermione carried him into the living room where she found Charlie Weasley snoring on the sofa underneath one of Molly's patchwork quilts. Crookshanks was splayed across his back.

"Daddy!"

Crookshanks rose, arched his back and then sprinted away at the sound of Elliot's voice. Charlie wasn't quite as quickly roused, but after a few moments of confusion he had opened his eyes and then opened them more widely as he remembered the events of the previous evening and the fact that he had a son who was now bouncing on his legs and telling him about a dream in which they rode on a dragon together.

Elliot's excited shouts had also woken his mum. Just a minute later, George's bedroom door opened and Lauren stepped out, tying the belt of her dressing gown. "Elliot!" she whispered loudly. "It's early; you don't need to wake everyone up!" She turned to Hermione. "Was he good?"

"We didn't heard a peep from him until a few minutes ago, when he wanted to tell his dad about his dragon dream."

"A dragon dream?!" Lauren sounded excited for Elliot, who opened his mouth to launch into the story. Hermione decided not to wait for a pause; touching Lauren's arm, she said, "I'm going to try and snooze for a bit longer. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen; you know where the tea is. We'll make breakfast when we get up but if you're hungry before then help yourselves. Charlie knows how to work the stove…"

As she walked back towards her and Fred's room, Hermione saw Charlie sitting up and making room for Lauren and Elliot under his quilt, and her hope rose again that the little family would figure things out and find a way to be happily together. Back in her own room, she cast locking and silencing spells, thinking that she and Fred could probably use another half hour of sleep before their day began.

Fred had other ideas though. Reaching for Hermione's hip with his hand, he shut down his bond with George and kissed her neck. "Are we alone again?" he asked.

"We are. Unless you count Graham…"

Twenty seconds later, Fred returned from his own trip to the living room where he had deposited both Graham and Mr Rabbit onto Charlie's lap. "Just delivering the rest of your family and friends, mate," he winked. Getting back into bed, Fred reached again for Hermione, muttering, "now, where was I? Oh yes, about here..." he rolled on top of her, gently manoeuvring her onto her back and parting her legs with one of his own as he did. He kissed Hermione and then looked into her eyes. "Permission to come aboard for a quickie, love?"

"Cheeky wizard!" Hermione exclaimed. She put her hand on his shoulder, pushing him gently downwards. "You can come aboard for a quickie once you've used that cheeky tongue of yours to satisfy me!"

So he did.

Afterwards, Hermione laid in Fred's arms as her breathing slowed. "Do you think it'll ever be just you and me again? Like on our honeymoon?" she asked him.

Fred pulled her closer and kissed her head. "Honestly? I'm not sure it will for a while, but that's been on my mind too. I wonder if I'm putting enough time into showing you how happy I am that you married me." He trailed his finger in circles on her naked stomach.

"I don't doubt that, Fred. And I love our family. But I like it when it's just you and me, too."

"Why don't we try and find some time together this evening? As long as nothing else happens? Lauren and Charlie can have the flat to themselves, we'll shut Georgie out and I'll take you out somewhere lovely for dinner; how does that sound?"

"Lovely. That sounds lovely, Fred."

Conscious of having visitors and some decisions to make, Fred and Hermione got up soon after that, saved time by sharing a shower and then joined their visitors and entertained Elliot so that Lauren and Charlie could each shower in turn.

Charlie was just coming out of the bathroom when George came through the kitchen door, having apparated into a secret cupboard in the shop that only the twins knew about. It allowed the two of them to come and go even when the wards were fully in place. Charlie greeted his brother with a wave and a grin, gladly accepting the takeaway coffee cup that George had brought him. The two men shared a love for strong, dark coffee that none of their other siblings really understood.

Elliot had been slightly surprised to see George turn up, but after looking between him and Fred for about twenty seconds, he seemed to make a decision. From that moment on, and even when he couldn't see the left hand side of their head and use George's missing ear to distinguish who was who, Charlie's little boy was able to correctly differentiate George from Fred. He looked from one to the other a couple of times, then pointed at George, looked at his mother and said "NoFred".

"That's right," said Hermione. "Lauren, Elliot, this is George. I probably don't need to tell you who he is," she smiled at Lauren, who laughed and held out her hand to shake George's.

"Pleasure, love," he said. "We've heard a lot about you. All good, but only recently. Turns out he's a secretive old bugger," his thumb indicated towards Charlie, who just smiled.

"You're telling me!" Lauren raised her eyebrows and Charlie quickly swooped in to offer her a reassuring cuddle with one arm while giving George half a hug and a thump on the back with the other.

"We're OK now though, right?" Charlie looked at Lauren.

"I expect so, though that doesn't get you out of all the washing up you've promised me. He's been telling me he does it with his wand!" she told Hermione excitedly. The witch laughed, but not as much as her husband did.

"Does he now?!"

"Oh stop it," Hermione playfully slapped Fred's bottom, and then blushed as he raised his eyebrows and pulled a face which clearly indicated that he'd like to continue that game with her. She turned away, not wanting to encourage George to initiate Charlie into his new favourite activity of teasing Hermione and Fred about the effects of their bond and the frequency of their lovemaking. Much better if she could keep everyone focused on Charlie.

But Elliot was the centre of attention and was clearly fascinated by Fred and George. "Fred … NoFred …. Fred … NoFred," he chanted as he pointed his finger at one and then the other.

"I am sorry," Lauren was slightly embarrassed, but George was quick to reassure her.

"I've been called much worse," he laughed. "I'm not bothered, love, so don't you be."

Hermione and Fred looked at him. He was laughing on the surface, but they could both feel that he was tired and welling up with a different kind of emotion inside. Hermione squeezed Fred's hand, letting him know that she would follow up. Letting Fred's hand go, she reached for George's hand instead and led him to the kitchen, announcing that she and George would start breakfast while Fred entertained their visitors.

"What's up then, Georgie?" she asked when they reached the kitchen. She closed the door and flicked her wand to start the water boiling for tea.

"I'm OK, love," he said, jumping up to sit on the worksurface beside where she was collecting mugs. His long legs dangled down and he swung them a little. "Just didn't sleep much. And then seeing the little one and hearing what he called me, it just got to me a bit."

"Do you mind that he called you that?" Hermione was confused. Fred and George were so laid back and spent so much of their time teasing others that they almost always took things on the chin when it was their turn; it was only fair. But something was clearly bothering him, and she wondered if it was the way in which people sometimes (and often without realising) failed to treat Fred and George as individuals; instead assuming that they were two halves of a pair.

"Gods, no, quite the opposite. D'you know what, love?" George spoke quietly. "There were a few days there after the war when I was terrified that I might become just George, instead of andGeorge. I can't even begin to tell you how that felt." Hermione moved in front of him, took his hand and held it tightly as tears filled his eyes. "And things have happened so quickly since; I think I've only just started to process some of it."

Hermione nodded. "I think that's the way it is for all of us. Fred and I are the same. But go on…" She squeezed his hand, brought it to her mouth to apply a kiss and then let it go, deciding that he might open up more without her eyes on him all the time. She was right; as she continued to buzz about making the tea, George talked.

"When the little one called me NoFred, it just really hit me what a miracle it is that we're all here to make kids of our own, and it reminded me that there IS a Fred for him to know and for me to not be. Things could have ended so differently … if that fucking wall…" He wiped his eyes, and Hermione passed him a tissue on her way to the fridge. "Thanks, love."

George wiped his eyes and then blew his nose with a degree of restraint that surprised Hermione. "Gods, I'm full of tears lately! I cried at your wedding, I cry at every little thing. I'm not sleeping, that's half the problem." He leaned in closer. "Unless it's my hormones; do you think I might be pregnant?"

Hermione reached for her wand, pointing it at his abdomen. "Do you want me to swirl it for you and find out?"

He managed a full smile that time. "Nah, I think we're good, thanks."

"I think it's probably quite normal," she told him, placing her wand on the worktop and putting her hands on his knees. "It's been a crazy few weeks since the final battle. Freddie and I both still have nightmares, and I know Harry and Ron are affected by it. Probably others are too, but we don't all talk about it. It's great that we're all moving on with relationships and the shop and living life to the full and stuff, but that's been so full on that we've kind of forgotten that we have a load of stuff to get over. We can't expect it to all dissolve as if it never happened."

"I thought I was OK for a while after; I was so relieved that it was all done and that Fred was OK, well and everyone else of course, but it seems to be worse now than just after. Like a delayed reaction."

Hermione nodded. "Yeah, that's what we're finding as well. Ron and Harry too; we talked about it last week. Is there anything we can do to help?"

George lowered his eyes and shook his head.

"What is it, George? I can feel there's something you want to say. Please tell me… Or I can get Fred if you'd rather tell him?"

George shook his head. "It won't be any easier telling him, love. I just … I really struggle at night sometimes. If Ange isn't there; if she's staying away for work and I'm at hers. I've been trying to give you two space by going there more often, and I wanted to help Lauren by giving her my room, but the nightmares are worse when I'm away from Freddie, and if you've got the bond closed then sometimes I panic…"

Hermione had abandoned the tea making and took both of George's hands in her own before moving between his legs to give him a hug. Leaning her face against his tummy, she said, "Georgie, I never meant to push you two apart. You need to come back to the flat more. Starting tonight. It's your home more than mine. And you should come and get in with us if it's that bad … I can share Freddie with you. I never meant to take him away." She pulled back and kissed his tee-shirt clad tummy.

"I know, love; you didn't." He stroked her hair. "If it wasn't for all of Voldemort's shit, I wouldn't need him in this way. I thought having our Wednesday dates would be enough. I love them, but it's in the night that it gets me at the moment."

"You were alone last night, weren't you … is that why you didn't sleep?"

He nodded. "When Ange said she was going early, well I didn't want say anything because I didn't want to fuck it up or get in the way of Lauren and Charlie being reunited. I should have gone to stay at Lee's but he doesn't know and I feel like such a baby…"

"You're not a baby, George Weasley. Well…" she smiled at him, "unless we count you being my bond baby!" He tried to smile back. "But it's nothing to be ashamed of. Promise me you'll come back and stay more. And that you'll come and get Fred in the night if you need to?"

He nodded. "I will."

"For the record, it's always OK with me if you need to get in with us, as long as you get in his side of the bed, not mine. It's not that I don't want to cuddle you," she looked up at him, "but one human storage heater alongside me is enough; I don't think I could cope with being a Fred and George toasted sandwich filling!"

He laughed at that. "It's OK … I don't think Ange would be happy if I cuddled up to you anyway!"

"Probably not. Does she know, though?" Hermione knew that Angelina would be just as concerned as she was; likely more so.

"Yeah…" he was hesitant. "But I don't want to worry her. I'm afraid she might want to give up quidditch so she could sleep with me every night, and I don't want that. So I've been coping, but I guess it's catching up with me…"

"Is she still away tonight?"

"All weekend."

"Right then..." George could tell that Hermione was entering what he and Fred used to call 'prefect mode' in the days when their hair was long and their worries were few. "When you finish whatever you're doing today, I want you back here at the flat until Ange is back. I don't know what Lauren's doing yet but either way I'll get Freddie to keep our bed enlarged and you can get in with us – no, don't argue, we had Elliot last night so it's hardly a problem. You can have a proper night's sleep and then a lay-in with your lazy brother. He never gets up til halfway through Sunday, so you can catch up on sleep together. How does that sound?"

George nodded. "That sounds brilliant, love." He was a bit choked up again, but for different reasons this time.

"Good. Tell Angie first though, and make sure she's OK with it. And we won't turn the bond off any more today either; I'm a bit concerned that all the shut-down time hasn't helped either."

George shrugged. She was probably right, but he didn't want to say it. It was hardly fair that the newly married couple had to limit their intimacy for the sake of the groom's twin, but then the circumstances of the previous few weeks had been rather difficult.

"Look, I really do need to get on with breakfast, but why don't you pop into our room for a nap now? You'll need a silencing charm though, with all this lot here. I'll save some sausages and bacon for when you wake up."

George gave Hermione a smile. "Thanks. I might just do that."

"Good. Do you want to take anything with you?"

"No, I'm OK, love. Just my coffee." He jumped down off the worksurface and engulfed Hermione in a hug. "Thank you. I can't tell you what this means."

Hermione was filled with a feeling of love and gratitude across the twin bond, accompanied by a sense of relief and happiness from her husband in the next room. "Well you don't really have to, Georgie … I can feel it!"

"Oh yeah," he laughed. "I still forget!"

Once he had left, Hermione turned to the fridge, sourcing the remainder of what she needed for breakfast. She heard the door open and turned to see Fred heading towards her. He leaned down to give her a kiss. "Hello, lovely. Couldn't leave you to do all the work … is Georgie OK?"

"I think so. At least he will be," Hermione pointed Fred towards the stove and he began to cook sausages and bacon while she found a tray and began to gather plates and cutlery for everyone. "He's not slept and he's having nightmares. I've sent him to get into our bed for a nap."

Fred looked concerned. "Nightmares?"

Hermione nodded. "I don't know if Ange knows how bad it is. I think it's mostly about you and that bloody wall. And we've tuned him out quite a bit; I hadn't thought about how that might affect him. So I've told him he should sleep in with us tonight … hopefully being close to you will help him sleep properly."

Fred hung his head. "I should have paid more attention. Got all caught up with my sexy new wife and then Charlie's romance…"

Hermione walked up behind him. She put her arms around his waist and leaned her cheek into his back. "It's not your fault, Fred. I think it's been a delayed reaction for quite a few of us. Ginny and Harry were fine at first but aren't sleeping so well now. Ron too."

"Buggers up our night together though."

"Oh, Gods." Hermione had forgotten about that. "I'm sorry, sweetheart."

Fred shrugged, but Hermione felt his churning emotions. He was distressed for his twin, torn between his love for Hermione and his family, sad that she had put George's needs first, even though he loved George more than his own life.

"What should I do, Fred? I've cocked up," she said. "I just wanted to be nice…"

"That's the trouble, 'Mione," he said. "You always want to be nice. To everyone. Sometimes I wonder if there's enough room for me…"

She felt his sadness through the bond but it was hard not to react. "What would you have had me do instead, Fred?" She was aware that her words were almost a hiss, in her care to not have everyone else hear. But Fred was not being reasonable; she really hadn't felt that she had a choice. She was making so much effort to help his family – their family – and she felt that Fred could be a bit more understanding. Then she had a thought. "Can George sense this?"

Fred took a few deep breaths. "I closed him off just then, but I'll not torture him. Which is why I'm going to calm down and attempt to be mature. I'm sorry, Hermione. I know you're trying to do the right thing. I can't promise to keep being OK with it if we don't start making some time for us, though. I just love you so much and the bond pulls me to you all the time. I want to spend time with you."

Hermione nodded. "Me too. Let him back in while I kiss you. He'll think that's what we were up to all along…"

Fred chuckled and then did as she asked. When he pulled away, he took hold of the hand that she had wrapped around him and squeezed her fingers gently. "How about we both think about having our own date night, and we'll negotiate it with George?"

"That sounds like a good plan. Best talk to Angelina and find out when works for her."

Fred nodded. Row averted, this time, but he had a feeling this wouldn't be the last time that they would have this kind of conversation, especially with everything that was happening. He decided that a change of subject might be in order. "Our newest family members seem to be fitting in well."

"Do you think they're OK?" Hermione asked him.

"I think so. I just hope they tell Mum and Dad soon. Like today… I don't like keeping this secret."

Hermione nodded. "I know what you mean. We'll bring it up again after breakfast." She let go of Fred and lifted her wand in search of some kind of bread. Ten minutes later, Fred carried a platter of sausages, bacon, fried eggs and buttered crumpets into the living room.

"Breakfast!" he announced.

"Fred!" Elliot was as pleased as ever to see his uncle, then looked around. "Where's NoFred?"

"He's just having a nap, sweetheart," said Hermione, who had followed behind with plates and cutlery. "He's a bit tired, so he's in our bed. You can see him again later."

Elliot's eyes widened and his eyes danced with happiness. "He sleeps in your bed too?"

Fred's mouth pulled into a couple of different shapes while he caught Charlie's eye and decided how to best answer that question. Charlie's eyebrows danced in reply. Hermione's eyes briefly met with Lauren's and the two shared a look of amusement. "He does when he's tired and your mummy's borrowing his room," she told the little boy.

"Cool!" Lauren's eyes rolled skyward, and Hermione laughed. It had taken Elliot less than a day to adopt his father's favourite word. He turned to Lauren. "So tonight, mummy, can I sleep with Fred AND NoFred?"

Fred laughed, loudly enough that Hermione was glad she had told George to put up a silencing charm. Lauren was a bit lost for words. Hermione beamed at him and said, "Well why don't we see how the day goes. I'm not sure what we're doing yet. On which note…" she tailed off into silence and left that thought hanging.

"I know..." It was Charlie who picked up the thread and Hermione was happy that he was taking responsibility. "I need to talk to Mum and Dad today, I think. With or without Lauren, depending on how you feel, love?"

Lauren chewed and then swallowed her food. "I feel fine either way. But something you said last night made me think your mum might not react well, and I don't want Elliot there if there's any chance of it not going well."

"I don't think she would react badly…" Fred frowned. "Do you?" He looked at Hermione.

"She's a lovely, caring woman who dotes on her children and will the best grandmother you can imagine." Hermione loved Molly and didn't want to paint her in a bad light for Lauren, but she had been on the receiving end of Molly's relational misunderstandings some years ago, and she didn't want Lauren to be unprepared for that possibility. "And she's a bit excitable and therefore not always predictable in emotional situations … especially if she thinks anyone is not doing right by any of her children."

"Like getting pregnant by them and not telling them for two years?"

"Gods, no," Charlie said. "And I'll be very clear that none of it is your fault. But Hermione's right, so I should go by myself first…"

"Will you go today? And should we stay here then?" Lauren asked. "Because Elliot is going to want to go out and run around at some point; I can't keep him cooped up all day. He's already getting a bit antsy…"

"Oh, I know a few people like that!" Hermione laughed, nodding towards Fred and Charlie.

A few minutes later, they had a plan. Charlie would go to The Burrow mid-morning to talk to Molly and Arthur, leaving Lauren and Elliot at the flat. Fred – and George, when he woke – would be in charge of some boisterous games to help keep Elliot busy until Charlie returned, and then they would find out how it went and decide what to do next. Hermione was about to remind Charlie that he would need to apparate back into Diagon Alley, because the flat's wards were still up to prevent unexpected visitors when her words were interrupted by a happy shout from Elliot which sent all of their planning into disarray.

"Horse!"

Elliot stood up on the sofa, pointing to the kitchen door, through which an elegant silvery horse was slowly galloping. Lauren looked as terrified as Elliot was excited. Charlie immediately took her hand. "It's OK," he whispered. "Nothing dangerous."

"Hermione Jean!" the horse spoke, further delighting Elliot, who looked at his father and clapped his hands together in joy before turning back to watch Ginny Weasley's patronus deliver the rest of its message. "I don't know WHAT you're doing with my brother to need the floo closed and the wards down for this long – and yuk, by the way – but we really need to discuss Kingsley's plan and our outfits. So if the floo isn't open in fifteen minutes then I'm bribing the-boy-who-lived-to-learn-how-to-break-through-wards-last-week-in-auror-training to bring me through. See you in a bit!"


	39. A crazy Weasley Saturday (part 1)

"So that's our sister Ginny," said Fred, as the horse faded. "She's very bossy, as you can see."

"Frankly," Lauren replied, "I can see why she'd need to be with you lot around."

Fred grinned. He was trying to decide how to respond to that when Elliot addressed Charlie.

"Your sister's a horse?" Elliot's eyes were wider than ever, clearly over the moon at the prospect of a talking equine auntie and Charlie felt sad to have to disappoint him.

"No, Elliot. She's a girl, but she sends a horse with messages. Umm.." He stopped, unsure of how to explain this. He didn't have enough knowledge of the muggle world to draw effective comparisons and wished that he had paid more attention in muggle studies at Hogwarts rather than using it as an opportunity to attend to whichever creature he was carrying around in his robes that day.

"Was that Gin?" George strode out of the bedroom, still fully dressed, and headed straight for the remainder of the breakfast food. "I know," he said to Hermione before she could ask him why he wasn't sleeping. "Because silencing spells don't stop the smell of bacon and it made me realise I needed bacon even more than I needed sleep. He squeezed himself into the armchair next to Fred, who shifted to make room, knowing that George needed the comfort of proximity.

"Yes," Hermione said. "Which means we might need to speed things up a bit. She will do what she says, so unless you want to meet her and Harry while Charlie's at The Burrow…"

"And risk an international incident," Fred added, and George laughed before chiming in.

"Yeah, when mum finds out that Gin and the Boy Wonder met you and Elliot before her as well…"

Lauren was looking slightly overwhelmed again, though Elliot seemed to be bouncing more and more with each new level of complication.

"I wonder if it would be better if Elliot and I just went home for a bit?" she said. "The root of the problem is that we're here. And we could go home, go to the park and then one or more of you could come and get us later to meet the parents. Or I could drive there. I'd like to drive. It'd be nice to do something normal again. Normal for me, I mean. No offence…" she added. Charlie patted her arm to let her know that they understood.

Hermione was about to protest when Fred put his hand on her arm. "Lauren, you're welcome to stay as long as you like, but it sounds like you might like a couple of hours to yourself anyway?"

"I think so," Lauren replied. "I'd quite like to do some laundry and take Elliot out. Everyday things for us." She turned to Charlie. "I'm happy to meet more of your family later, but I think it would be good if I had some time with Elliot too. I want to make sure he's dealing with it…"

"I get it," Charlie nodded. "So we need to work out how to get you home in the next fifteen minutes. Ideally with me coming to see where you live, if that's OK, so I can apparate back and forth to you directly?"

"Of course, Charlie. Hermione come and goes in the garden … can you show him?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, absolutely. We just need to work out the logistics."

"What do you mean?" Lauren asked.

"Well I'm the only person who knows where you live, but I can't apparate you and Elliot and Charlie all in one go. Maybe if I take Fred so he can see where you live and then we both come back. Or no, we'd still have to have three people. Could I apparate two of you and have enough energy to come back and then go to Lauren's again within a few minutes? Or should we floo? Is the café in Bristol open on a Saturday morning?"

Hermione was reminded of the dream dilemma that she had experienced when she had the nightmare about Umbridge invading her wedding, when she had wondered how many people she could safely apparate, and it annoyed her that she hadn't had time to research the answer since then. Hermione Granger-Weasley didn't like not knowing things. Which made the smug look on her husband's face even more annoying, because it was clear that he had an answer that she couldn't see.

"Are you not forgetting something?" Fred held up his left hand and showed her his wedding ring. George's head then appeared beside Fred's with an equally smug grin on his face.

"Ohhhhh." Realisation dawned on Hermione. "Of course. Will it work?"

"Yeah, totally." George nodded. "I'll get my shoes." He pointed his wand towards the back door.

"What am I missing?" Lauren asked, frowning.

"The bond that the three of us share," Hermione explained, summoning her own and Fred's shoes as well. "If I lead and we all focus, Fred and George can use our bond connection to apparate to the same place as me, even though they haven't been there before. It's completely safe, don't worry. But it's probably the only way we can do this and not have the whole family descending on us before Mum and Dad find out. And once we've all done this once, any one of you can come and go on our own, or with you and Elliot together. It's just better that you have the full attention of one person the first time you experience it."

"Right. I'll get my stuff." Lauren had been fearing apparition ever since she had heard about it and was secretly quite glad that her first time would be happening without her being able to think too much about it. She passed Elliot to Charlie, who was scrambling his own things together from the floor around the sofa, and went into George's room to get her rucksack. "Please make sure you've got Mr Rabbit," she pleaded. "He's essential to Elliot's wellbeing!"

Charlie nodded, securing the soft bunny into the strap on the front of his bag so that Mr Rabbit could see where he was going. Elliot was happy with this arrangement and asked if Graham could come too.

"Graham needs to stay here, lovely," Hermione told him. "But you can visit him again soon. The other bunnies will keep him company while you're gone."

Fred raised his wand, ready to open the floo and take down the anti-apparition wards just before they left so they would be able to get out and Ginny could get in. He then stood whispering and giggling with George. Hermione was happy to see them playing together, but curious as to what they were plotting. "What's so funny?" she asked.

"Well we had a request," Fred said.

"Yeah, when it's time to tell Bill…"

"We were wondering if we could borrow Elliot…"

"And go to Shell Cottage…"

"Because seeing as Elliot looks so much like Charlie…"

"We thought we could tell him we had had an accident in the shop…"

"And ask if he knows any way of making Charlie a grown-up again!"

"This is," Hermione told them, half cross and half laughing, "exactly why Lauren is right to be a bit worried about our world!"

They found it hard to contain their laughter, but had managed to compose themselves by the time Lauren returned with her bag. Fred had sorted Elliot out and was wearing him in his carrier, and Hermione indicated for George to side-along apparate Charlie while she shouldered Lauren's rucksack and offered Lauren her arm.

"Wards and floo?" she said to Fred.

"On it." Fred waved his wand. He hadn't wanted to do it too soon and have Ginny arrive before they left.

"OK, on the count of three, and we're landing in Lauren's back garden which is in a village, so don't make too much noise and make the neighbours wonder what's going on. One, two, three…"

Just as she had feared, when Lauren apparated into her own back garden for the first time, her first response was to vomit. She had three whole seconds warning after landing, and she managed to turn away from Hermione and aim towards the rosemary bush, but it still wasn't dignified. She felt slightly better when Hermione immediately aimed her wand and made the sick disappear into thin air, but Lauren retched twice more and rid herself of her entire breakfast before dropping to her knees on the grass. Taking deep breaths, she assumed that the hand on her back was still Hermione's until she heard Charlie's voice speaking quietly to her.

"You're OK, love. Take a minute before you get up. You do get used to it in the end. Can I make your mouth taste better? It won't hurt." Lauren nodded and Charlie cast a gentle breath-freshening charm on her before transfiguring a pebble into a cup and casting an aguamenti spell to pour some water into it for her to sip. He continued speaking in that quiet, calming voice that he used when people or animals were distressed. "I've sent the others away; Elliot's showing them his sandpit, so no-one's paying attention to us."

"Is he OK?"

"He's surprisingly fine, love. George and I were ready in case Fred needed help with him, but he shouted 'whooosh' and asked if we could do it again!"

Lauren managed a smile. "He shouts whoosh every time Hermione does that, and I think he might even do it before she lands – if land is the right word? I keep meaning to ask about that. Is it possible that he can sense magic?"

Charlie sat down on the grass beside her, thinking. "I don't know. It's not something I have a lot of experience with. You'd think I would know, with so many younger siblings, but it was all so normal for me that I never really thought about it."

Lauren touched Charlie's arm, wanting to ensure she had his full attention. "Charlie, is Elliot definitely a wizard?"

Charlie pulled an uncertain face. "From what you said about the funny happenings, accidental magic would be the obvious answer. But none of us have seen him do anything yet, have we? Have 'Mione or Fred seen him produce magic?"

Lauren shook her head. "Not that I know of. Hermione said it doesn't happen much. They both think that your mum would be a good person for me to talk to."

"She would." Charlie scooped her into a tighter hug and cradled her head against his chest. "Godric, this whole thing must be ridiculous for you."

"Some of it was a relief, though. I thought the house was haunted; was thinking we'd need to move out. It seemed crazy and I don't even believe in that kind of thing, so in a weird way it was a relief when Hermione explained it might be Elliot's magic." Lauren paused for a moment, looking at her house. Charlie squeezed her again and she looked up as Hermione approached.

"Are you OK now?"

"Yeah … sorry!" Lauren smiled.

"You really don't need to apologise. If you're OK though, we should go. Ginny will probably have arrived and be searching for clues as to where we are. I've just remembered that we left rabbits in the bedroom…"

Lauren laughed, and then looked at Charlie. "I think we should let Hermione tell Ginny and her boyfriend. Otherwise it's going to affect their friendship, and we can't have that."

Hermione nodded. "I'll tell her before she leaves ours, but I'll make her swear not to interfere with Charlie telling Mum and Dad. To be honest, if she's got a bee in her bonnet about Kingsley's plan, she'll talk non-stop about that for an hour and I'll be hard pushed to get a word in anyway…"

"Oh you know her well!" Charlie grinned. Lauren shifted position, a bit uncomfortable now. "Allow me," he said, jumping onto the balls of his feet and offering Lauren a hand up.

"OK," said Hermione, as Fred and George wandered towards them with Elliot swinging between their hands. "We'll go, and leave you to it. Please let us know how it goes, and what your plan is for having everyone meet."

"We will, my lady," Charlie bowed to Hermione. "And thank you again … for helping me find my little family here. I just can't even imagine…" His voice broke as he considered how, without Hermione's help, he might never even have known that he had a son.

Hermione took his hand. "It's OK, Charlie. That's what sisters-in-law are for. And don't imagine the 'what ifs'; it won't do you any good. You're here now. Take care; we'll see you soon." She kissed his cheek, and then Lauren's, as the older woman murmured her own thank you before picking Elliot up in her arms and encouraging him to wave at his auntie and uncles as they apparated back home. Just before they twisted out of sight, Hermione called to Lauren, "email if you need me."

Charlie turned to Lauren with a grin. "Can muggles send emus? Well that's not so different from owls after all!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Well," said Ginny Weasley, as Hermione, Fred and George landed in their living room. "All I can say is that it's a good job you left me warm sausages! Where have you been?"

Years of pranks and trickery had rendered George and Fred Weasley more than capable of directing someone's attention elsewhere. "Gin!" they shouted in unison, launching themselves onto the sofa where their little sister had parked herself while finishing up their breakfast.

"How's Harry?" asked Fred.

"Would you like to be a tester for a new glitterbubble product?" George added from her other side. "I think you'll love it…"

"Lovely top, by the way." Fred touched the fabric. "Is it new?"

Ginny narrowed her eyes. Years of living with George and Fred Weasley had made Ginny wise to their attempts to divert her attention. "I'm not stupid, you know!"

"Of course they know," said Hermione reassuringly. "They're trying to distract you from a surprise which we will tell you about in a bit, but let's talk about Kingsley's letter first."

"Oh is this your pizza night?" Ginny asked, her eyes lighting up. "You said it would be in a couple of weeks, and that's nearly up. Harry mentioned that this morning … he's so good at remembering dates. I'd forget my birthday if I didn't have mum to remind me…"

Fred's eyes lit up. "Yes, that's it. But we're not sure how it will fit in with the Ministry stuff now, so that's why we need to start there." He pointed her attention back to the wad of paper in her hands.

Hermione suppressed a smile; he was really smooth at this. Sending George to make some tea – for he was the least affected by Kingsley's plan, at least in its early stages – she settled into an armchair and let Ginny talk.

Kingsley's letter was detailed, but the overall plan was simple. He had, as they had previously discussed and agreed, made a plan with the Wizengamot to spin the story of Hermione and Fred's romance into the first part of an appeal to the wizarding world to voluntarily marry and seed a decade-long baby boom before the falling population situation became so drastic that they needed to pass a marriage law.

It had felt, at least to Hermione and Fred, that a long time had passed since Kingsley had initially paused the impending law and proposed an alternative solution to the wizard elders. But when they had read his letter in bed the previous evening, they had understood why it had taken time for him to move further with his plan. Not only had he organised a major event and secured funding for incentives but, not trusting the journalists to do it sensitively enough, Kingsley had personally drafted and sent them a series of five articles that would be published in The Daily Prophet. His strategic planning impressed both Fred and George, for he had planned to release details of his plan over the next couple of weeks to culminate in a ball which would be hosted and funded by the Ministry of Magic and held at Hogwarts on Harry's birthday, July 31st.

"That's just under three weeks away!" Ginny warned, and Hermione laughed. Given the speed of the happenings in her life over the past three weeks, that much lead-in time felt positively relaxing.

The first article detailed the romantic story of the war heroine and the resistance fighter and Kingsley's margin notes explained that this would be front page news. He has asked to use a couple of their wedding photos and Fred and Hermione had already agreed that they'd be happy with that. That first story would end with the announcement that there was a need to create more families and make magical babies and explained that a special series of articles and events would explain this further over the course of the couple of weeks. He had all sorts planned, including a piece on how he was planning ahead to ensure that Hogwarts would be ready to take a bumper crop of students in eleven or twelve years' time.

The articles that he sent included the announcement of the ball. Kingsley had added another margin note to explain that, as Hermione and Fred would be asked to pose for the press along with Harry and Ron and, if they chose, their ball dates, the Ministry would pay for all their outfits. Those photos would then, Kingsley had explained, give the press material for the weekend editions in which he had taken out full-page advertisements to ensure that the full details of his plan were published in one place. He hoped that August would see a flurry of weddings as a result and he had set up a special department in the Ministry to make this as smooth as possible for all concerned.

"So obviously I'm up for being the belle of Harry's ball," Ginny grinned. "Especially as you and I get to play dress-up at Madame Malkin's on the Ministry's tab … shall we go and see her soon?"

Hermione nodded. "That's fine, Gin. I need to talk to her about some work outfits as well." She really needed to get a quill and write some of this down. "I'm starting at the shop on Monday," she cut her eyes to Fred, thinking about Lauren and wondering whether that would still be possible, "well, as long as nothing else major happens."

"What do you mean?" asked Ginny.

"Oh," Hermione tried to sound nonchalant. "Well, you know, just it's been so busy and I've not really had time to think. Go on…"

"OK," Ginny spoke slowly. She knew something was afoot but she couldn't quite work it out. She would just have to trust that they would get to it soon. "What I don't know yet," she continued, "is whether Ron's going to grow a pair and ask Luna or whether he'll be a billy-no-mates and come alone." She rolled her eyes.

George looked at Fred. "I guess we could help there," he shrugged.

"Maybe…" Fred was always a little less inclined to compassion than George where Ron was concerned. But he then had a thought. "Oh … we could test that new confidence boosting potion you've got on the go."

George grinned widely. "Now you're talking."

Their gaze returned to Ginny as she continued chatting about the plan and reading aloud her favourite bits of Kingsley's writing. His other articles were equally juicy and compelling; there were fascinating details of how Fred, George and Lee had created Potterwatch and of some of Hermione, Harry and Ron's achievements. Kingsley was clearly very good at using words to engender a sense of community and a desire to help. Even on her first reading of the articles Hermione felt sure that many readers would want to help even without the incentives (to be revealed on Thursday week) or the apologetic but still present threat of a potential marriage law if it was needed.

"So the bit that you might not know because Kings doesn't even want to tell the Wizengamot in case of a leak, is that Harry is going to propose to me again, very publicly, at the ball itself. And then make a rousing speech in support of the law."

"Wow," said Fred. "No wonder it took Kings a few weeks to put it all together."

"Do you think it will work?" Hermione asked.

"Don't see why not," George replied. "He's explaining the need, offering an incentive and being clear that if we don't all get on with it then he'll have no choice but to pass the threatened law. We all have to make a decision: make our own commitment or risk having the Ministry make one for us."

Hermione's stomach dropped upon hearing his words. Too late, she recalled that George had his own marriage dilemma. Not about whether or not he wanted to marry Angie, for she was confident that he probably did, but about what sort of marriage they would have and when they would tie the knot. She knew he would dearly love to be bonded with Angelina in the way that she and Fred were, especially now he saw how much the bond helped their relationship. As he knew from his lifetime twin bond with his brother, it was much harder to fall out with someone when you had intimate access to their feelings. Less chance of misunderstandings, for a start. But Angelina wasn't keen on an old-fashioned full bonding because it would mean the end of her professional quidditch career.

"Stop worrying about me, love," George touched Hermione's shoulder. "I'll figure it out."

Hermione nodded, but when she got up to get a quill to start making a list, she didn't stop at 'dress shop with Gin', 'talk to F&G re start in shop', 'date for pizza night' or even 'ball Friday 31st'. She carefully added 'ask Minerva re using library to research bond control'. She didn't want to forget that, even if the craziness of her life meant it wasn't her top priority.

"So," said Ginny. "If we're all OK with everything in Kingsley's plan and you're OK to make some time for me next week, 'Mione?" Hermione nodded, and Ginny continued. "Then I propose you tell me what it is that has you all so on edge and with your wards and floo down for bloody hours…"

"Well," said Hermione. "About three years ago, Charlie met a muggle women called Lauren, when she was on holiday at a spa near his reserve."

Fred looked at George. "I feel like we've heard this bedtime story before!"

"Yeah," George crossed his eyes. "Wonder how many times we're going to hear it this weekend?"

"And," Hermione continued, raising her voice to drown them out, "they spent the summer together in a sort of no-strings but very friendly affair that I don't really know what to call."

She continued telling Charlie and Lauren's story, making sure that Ginny had the progression and enough detail of how Charlie had felt to make sense of why Hermione had made it her mission to find Lauren when she returned from her honeymoon. "So I went over to Bristol to meet her, and we had a lovely chat and, well, it turns out that she doesn't live alone. She had left Romania pregnant with Charlie's baby, but she had no way of contacting him to tell him. And so … you have a nephew called Elliot, who's two and a bit and is just adorable and the brightest little thing you've ever met…"

"Fuck!" exclaimed Ginny.

"Indeed," said George and Fred, in unison.

"Here," Hermione leaned over towards the bookshelf and picked up a copy of the photo that Lauren had given her. "Lauren let us make a few copies of this. You can take it, if you like, to show Harry. And Ron, I guess, if you see him first."

Ginny looked up from the photo with a smile. "He's gorgeous. So like Charlie. I can't wait to meet him. And take the mick out of Charlie, obviously. They're all back together again?"

"Mmmmm, depends how you define that," said Hermione, wrinkling her nose. "Lauren wanted to meet Charlie here so she came over last night. With Elliot, but Freddie watched him so she could talk to Charlie alone first. He portkeyed in and they met on the roof and then he met Elliot too and they all stayed over. In different rooms," she added, keen to nip any speculation in the bud and wanting to get the facts out before Ginny and Molly got together to dissect the situation later. The new family had enough to contend with. "They're not together together, I don't think, but they're both committed to figuring it all out. That's why we had all the wards and the floo closed, sorry Gin. They needed to meet up and have a bit of time together before everyone else got involved. We were more worried that your mum might drop in with food or something."

"Gods, yes," said Ginny. "Can you imagine? Sunday dinner tomorrow is going to be brilliant! So I can tell Harry? And Ron, if he's around?"

Hermione nodded. "Sure. Charlie was headed over there when we left, so mum and dad should know by now…"

At that, the floo roared into life and Fleur Weasley stepped out, as full of grace as ever. "Oh, I am so glad you're both here," she said to Hermione and Ginny. "We have a bit of a problem…"


	40. A crazy Weasley Saturday (part 2)

Molly Weasley had woken at four in the morning – again, she sighed in realisation – feeling as if she had fallen asleep on a beach in a fur coat in forty degree sun. Her heart was pounding and, with a sinking feeling, she knew that the glass of red wine that she had sipped in the garden while chatting with her husband the previous evening was the cause. Which was a bugger, because it seemed that the very things that had kept her sane through the birthing, feeding and raising of seven children – wine, chocolate and Arthur's beef curry; the recipe for which was the best bit of marriage wisdom that his own father had given him – were now conspiring against her.

This was the third time that such a thing had happened in recent weeks. The first was the morning after Fred and Hermione's wedding. Molly had woken at three a.m. that day, regretting every sip of champagne that had passed her lips. She had crept to the twins' old bedroom, confident – and correctly so, as it turned out – that she would find a hangover potion in one of their bedside tables, and she had downed it with a large glass of water conjured from her wand.

It made little difference. She still felt hotter than the sun and she went downstairs, where the only relief she found was from laying down on the cellar flagstones. Arthur had quite a turn when he found her there later, so she scolded him for being silly.

It wasn't the alcohol per se, but it clearly played a part. She had been fine after the firewhisky that she had shared with Hermione when she came to collect her things, but she had been up again after she shared a bottle of wine with Arthur a week or so later.

And now this was the third time. Not wanting to wake Arthur, but knowing she wouldn't be able to sleep any more and would only wind herself up if she continued to lay there, Molly quietly rose and went downstairs. She raised her wand towards the kettle, having read somewhere that tea could actually help cool one down, and stared out of the window, thankful that at least the dawn was nearing.

As she sat and sipped, she wondered how she and Arthur would fill their normal Saturday morning. Their weekends were a different kind of normal these days, as their family were so spread out. Bill and Fleur were married and living in Shell Cottage, Charlie was in Romania and Percy had a flat near the Ministry of Magic. Ron lived with Harry, in Grimmauld Place, and Fred and George shared the flat over the shop with Hermione. Ahhh, Fred and Hermione; now there was a patronus-worthy thought to calm her frayed nerves.

George, well he was another matter. Molly was a bit worried about her younger twin, sensing that he still hadn't got over the near-loss of Fred. Partly because of this, she deliberately chose not to think about whether Angelina sometimes stayed over at the flat as well, but that was less challenging that the fact that her own daughter Ginny, who still technically lived at The Burrow, seemed to sleep elsewhere most nights. Molly knew that she was also at Grimmauld Place. And not, as she had told Molly, in the room of her own that Harry and Ron had decorated for her, but in Harry's bed.

On a theoretical level, Molly knew that she needed to give everyone a break while they recovered from the war, and she also understood that times had changed, but it was hard to completely abandon the values that had been drummed into her as a child. Especially as the child of a proud pureblood wizarding family. And she felt every emotion more strongly than ever these days.

She sighed, deciding to move herself into the living room and make a plan for this year's Christmas sweaters. With their growing family, it wouldn't hurt to get a head start, and she could take herself out to buy wool later, assuming her body would ever cool down and behave for long enough to allow her to feel that she could go out in public again. She cast a cooling charm over herself and took herself and her tea to the living room.

"Knut for your thoughts, Mollywobbles," Arthur smiled when he came downstairs a few hours later.

"They're not worth it, love," she told him. "I'm hot and jittery again and I don't know what to do with myself today."

"Trouble sleeping again?"

She nodded her head.

Arthur tried again. "What about seeing if Hermione would like to come over today? Won't Fred be in the shop, as it's a Saturday? She might like to bring her sewing and keep you company."

"I already tried sending a note, to ask if she'd like a home-baked pie for dinner. But they've got the floo closed and the wards up."

Arthur frowned slightly. That wasn't like the twins. But perhaps they wanted a lie-in, or they were still affected by the bond. It also crossed his mind to wonder whether Molly, in her need to be needed, had been bothering them too much of late.

"Well shall I make you some breakfast, Molly?"

"What, and make me completely redundant? Don't you think enough people can manage without me already, without you suddenly deciding to become a house elf and take over the running of my kitchen, Arthur?"

Oops. Arthur made a mental note to try and remember that for next time. It was hard to know how to please Molly these days, but after this many years of commitment and everything they had shared together, he wasn't going to give up trying. He loved this fierce, loving witch with all of his heart and he wasn't going to let them grow apart just as they had reached the stage of life where they could relax a bit more and hopefully one day soon begin to enjoy some grandchildren.

Molly huffed and turned towards the kitchen as a brown owl tapped on the window with The Daily Prophet in its beak. Glad of the distraction, Arthur went to thank and pay the bird while Molly continued to bustle around the kitchen. He decided that today might be a good day to tidy his shed.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

A short time later and about fifty miles northeast of The Burrow, while his little son dug a hole with a green wooden spade, Charlie was running his fingers through the sand at the edge of the sandpit. "I should just go and do it, love, shouldn't I? If I don't make a move then I'll just end up sitting here all day and they'll find out from Ginny…"

Lauren nodded. "Probably best. Will you come back here afterwards? I can give you the grand tour of the cottage then, if you like?"

"Can I show my bedroom?" Elliot looked up.

"Of course, lovely," Lauren smiled. "And maybe the park as well."

"Cool!" There was Charlie's favourite word again. Elliot turned back to his digging.

Charlie watched his son fondly. "I don't know how else I can contact you so yes, I guess I'll just pop back over later today. I don't know when, though. Is that OK?"

"Of course," Lauren smiled. "We like visitors. Very much. Especially when they're you. And we don't have any plans beyond a walk to the park, so if we're not here when you get back, just wait and we won't be long. Or walk up the road for three minutes that way," she pointed to her left, "and you'll find us. It's not far."

Charlie took Lauren's chin in his hand. "We'll find a way to communicate directly, love. I'll have to ask Hermione to help. I just haven't got my head around all the things we need to work out yet."

"I know, Charlie, it's OK," Lauren reassured him. "Go and tell your folks about your son. Here, take these…" she reached into her pocket and handed him a few small squares of shiny paper. "Hermione made me some copies with her wand, so you can leave one of these with them if they'd like it?"

Charlie leaned forward, kissed her on the cheek and then scooped Elliot into his muscled arms from behind, lifting the little boy off the surface of the sand to hug him. "I'm off, bud. I'll see you soon."

"Bye, daddy." Elliot leaned his head into Charlie's chest and Charlie's heart melted a little bit more. He administered a kiss to Elliot's head and then put the little boy down again before walking backwards towards the apparition point that they had designated next to Lauren's garden shed.

Charlie smiled as he raised his wand slightly and apparated just outside The Burrow's wards. As he walked through the garden, he could see his father reading the paper at the table and his mother bustling about the kitchen. This looked like a normal Weasley Saturday morning, even if the table was a bit less full of people that usual. Smiling, he opened the kitchen door and greeted his parents.

"Hello, good morning!"

Molly dropped the pan that she was holding and it bounced on the worksurface before crashing to the floor.

"Charlie Weasley!" she shouted. "What are you doing here, and why did you need to scare me like that?" Her hand was over her heart, trying to calm her palpitations.

Arthur looked up from behind the paper, trying to catch his son's eye and warn him that his mum wasn't feeling well. But Charlie wasn't looking in the right direction.

"I didn't mean to scare you mum, sorry. I thought you might like that I had come to visit."

"No warning? Don't they have owls in Romania anymore? Have they all flown away? Or died from heart attacks when you burst in on them without calling first? I could have been anywhere." Molly spoke sharply as a result of the adrenalin that had begun to course around her body again at the unexpected sight of Charlie, who she thought was in Romania. What she really meant was that she would have loved to have known ahead of time that her beloved second eldest son was headed over for a visit. It would have given her something to look forward to and she would have thoroughly enjoyed making all his favourite foods in preparation for his arrival. It just didn't come out that way.

"I didn't know myself, Mum." He moved towards her and tried to give her a hug. She accepted a kiss on the cheek, more preoccupied with trying to calm her racing heart.

"Dad," he nodded to Arthur as he went to sit at the kitchen table.

"Good morning Charlie," his father said. "It's nice to see you. To what do we owe this pleasure?"

"Well," Charlie began, not at all sure that he wanted to continue now. But he couldn't stall; Hermione would be telling Ginny by now, and he didn't have time to play with. "I have some news."

"Do you want some breakfast?" Molly had taken a few deep breaths to calm herself.

"That would be lovely, Mum, if there's enough. Thanks" Even if he had eaten three breakfasts at Hermione and the twins' place, he would still have stuffed another one in for his mother. There was no surer way to warm her heart than to enjoy her food, and no surer way to incur her wrath than to decline it.

Molly huffed. "Has there ever not been enough?"

"No Mum." Shit, he thought, as his mother put a full plate of breakfast in front of him. He couldn't say right for wrong this morning. Charlie groaned inwardly. For reasons that he couldn't understand, he truly couldn't have picked a worse day for this. He began to fork the food into his mouth, but he wasn't tasting any of it.

"Alright then," Molly sat down heavily in her usual chair. "Let's have your news…"

Charlie took a deep breath. He couldn't see any option but to go ahead.

"OK, so about three years ago, I was in the mountains for work and I met a woman who was staying near the reserve."

Molly and Arthur simply returned his gaze. So far, so good. They had been hoping that he would one day turn up with a girlfriend in tow. Maybe that would be the precursor to him returning home to settle down.

"She's a muggle. Her name is Lauren. She's about a year older than me. She works in Bristol, actually, for a University. She's like a professor, but she teaches adults. Adult muggles."

Molly's eyes lit up. "Are you coming home to teach dragon studies to muggles?"

"No Mum. Muggles don't know about dragons." He drank some tea to give himself a moment to think before he tried again. "Well, you see, we liked each other and we had a bit of an affair, I suppose, for a summer ... before the war, this is ... and the thing is … well … I – I got her pregnant." He swallowed.

Molly's hands flew to her chest again, and she cried out in dismay.

"Charlie Weasley! You didn't?" That was Arthur, also looking shocked. He'd had one hell of a morning, and this was just going to cap it all off.

Charlie nodded. "I did Dad, I'm sorry. I know what you think about that kind of thing. But the thing is –"

"How could you, Charlie? A bit of an affair? What does that mean? I don't suppose it means any kind of commitment, hmmmm?" Molly's voice was sharper than she meant it to be, and Charlie winced.

"After everything I taught you boys?" His father's eyes were wide and sad, and Charlie felt like he had been kicked in the stomach.

"It wasn't like that, Dad. There's more I need to tell you. It's not coming out right."

"Just what is the right way for it to come out?" Molly asked, but Charlie didn't get a chance to answer before Arthur jumped back in. Oh gods, they were tag teaming, and he hadn't yet managed to tell them the important bits.

"I can't believe this!" Arthur said to his son. "I'm not stupid; I know Fred and George twisted my words to make themselves believe they could be freer with non-magical women, but you as well? You must all think I'm a stupid old fool."

"Dad, none of us think that, and I don't know what you mean about Fred and George…"

"It was a turn of phrase," Arthur continued. "I wasn't giving you all permission to impregnate random muggles!"

Molly looked at Arthur. "Fred and George went with muggles?" She hadn't known about that bit. Arthur cringed. He only knew because Cedric had been so close to Amos and, after his death, Amos had spent several evenings getting drunk at the local pub and retelling every conversation that he and Cedric had ever had, however inappropriate.

Luckily for Arthur, though, Molly's sights were firmly set on Charlie and she immediately turned back to her son. "Three years ago? And you've kept it from us for all this time?"

"That's not how it was!" Charlie raised his voice a bit. "You're not letting me tell you properly!" It occurred to Charlie that he should have treated this like a dragon moving day. The key was in the planning and a good and clear plan meant that everything went smoothly. Instead, he had been focused on enjoying his time with Lauren and Elliot all morning and he had started his story in the worst possible place.

"I hope you've been supporting them financially?" Arthur asked.

"Well no," said Charlie. "I couldn't, because –"

"There is NO excuse for that, Charlie."

"How dare you leave that poor woman alone with a magical child?" Molly looked truly shocked.

"You earn a bloody fortune! Most surviving dragon keepers retire by their thirties because they're so well off from the danger money. How could you not help them?"

"Gods, what happened to the lovely, kind little boy we raised, who tended to every sick animal within a half mile of The Burrow? How could you abandon your child?"

"I didn't abandon my child!" Charlie pleaded with his eyes for them to given him a chance to speak without interruption, but Molly was too wound up to hear anything and Arthur was too concerned that Molly was going to blow a gasket. This all couldn't have happened at a worse time.

"So we have a grandchild and, all this time, you've kept it from us?" Molly rose from the table. She could feel the heat rising in her body again and the cooling charm had worn off within minutes. Arthur looked worried when he saw her red face.

"I did not," said Charlie. "You're not bloody giving me a chance to explain!"

"Don't you speak to your mother like that, Charles Weasley! She has enough going on at the moment without you adding to her troubles."

"Why, what's the matter?" Charlie looked concerned for a moment.

"Nothing that I want to discuss with you, thank you," Molly told him sharply.

"Well that's bloody nice, isn't it?" Charlie bit back. "You have a go at me for not telling you things, but then you don't want to talk to me either. Right, well as we're going to all over-react in the traditional redheaded way and not talk calmly like adults, I'm off."

Charlie stood up and strode towards the fireplace, initially intending to floo out of his childhood home. But he realised that one or both of his parents, upon hearing where he was going, would likely follow, and he didn't want that to happen. He needed time to rethink this. So he turned on his dragon-skin boot heel and instead made for the front door. Before opening it, a thought occurred to him and he reached into his back pocket.

"Oh," he said, pulling out the photo that Hermione had made for Lauren and tossing it on the table. "Here you are. This is your grandson. And for the record, I love him, and I love his mother. She's not a random muggle to me. But I only found out about him myself last night. Let me know if you're ever interested in shutting up long enough to hear the real story."

Charlie strode away quickly, hot tears pricking at his eyes again. As soon as he was beyond the wards, he apparated to the home of the one person who he knew would always listen before reaching any judgment or conclusion. His brother and best friend, Bill Weasley.


	41. A crazy Weasley Saturday (part 3)

"Uh oh…" Bill's mouth was full of bacon so he raised his eyebrows and nodded his head to get Fleur to look out of the window. His brother Charlie was striding across the lawn looking upset. The walk from the apparition point on the beach had calmed him a bit, but Bill knew Charlie well and his body language always revealed his feelings to those who took the time to study him.

It was Fleur who threw open the back door and held her arms out to him first. "Charlie, welcome, come in. We're in the kitchen. What brings you en Angleterre, mon frère? Are you OK?"

"Not really, but thanks. Bonjour, Fleur." He hugged her, noticing how different it felt to put his arms around her tall, slim body after cuddling Lauren's curves. He definitely liked his women shorter and rounder, and the thought of seeing and maybe holding Lauren in his arms again later cheered him up a bit.

Bill stood up and gave Charlie another hug when his brother stepped into the blue and yellow kitchen. "Would you like some breakfast?"

"Not hungry, thanks. Had two breakfasts already." He pulled out a chair and sat down, his body more hunched than usual. It was clear to both the curse breakers that something was very wrong.

"What is it, Charlie?" Fleur put her hand on his shoulder, rubbing him gently in concern. "Or would you like me to go elsewhere so you can talk to Bill alone?"

"No, love," Charlie covered his sister-in-law's hand with his own. "You might as well hear it together. I've got enough people to tell; it'll save time." He looked at Bill. "I cocked up telling Mum and Dad something important. Made Mum so cross I couldn't get a word in edgeways, but I need to tell you the important thing first else the rest won't make any sense."

"Go on, mate. Coffee?" Bill was continuing to eat his breakfast, and Charlie appreciated the sense of normality that this gave him. The weekend was proving to be rather more eventful and fuller than even he could have imagined, and he didn't see that stopping anytime soon.

Charlie nodded. "That'd be great." Although Bill didn't share his and George's penchant for proper, black, strong coffee, Fleur did. And Fleur had standards. As a result, Shell Cottage was one of the few places where he could guarantee that he wouldn't regret saying yes to the offer of coffee, as the couple had pooled their skills to transfigure a top of the range muggle expresso machine into one that could be powered by magic.

"I'll make it," said Fleur, giving Bill's scars a gentle stroke with the back of her hand as she passed his chair. "I have finished eating."

This time, Charlie told the story calmly, in order and from the beginning. Bill and Fleur knew of Lauren's existence because Charlie had once mentioned her to Bill when they were in the pub, but they had had no idea that his feelings for her ran so deep. Charlie explained how he had ended up telling the full story to Hermione and, with a fond smile, he described how Hermione had asked if she could look for Lauren using muggle communication.

Slowly, so as to ensure he got it right this time, he brought them up-to-date with the events of the past twenty four hours. Fleur listened from the other side of the kitchen and she and Charlie's coffee arrived at the table just in time for Charlie to witness her delighted, wide-eyed gasp as Charlie told them about Elliot, while Bill grinned widely.

"Seriously? You're a dad?"

Charlie pulled another of the pictures of Elliot out of his pocket and pushed it to his brother across the wooden table with two fingers. Bill looked at the photo and then back up at Charlie, as Fleur went to stand behind her husband and look at the photo of their nephew.

Bill's grin seemed to be plastered to his face. "Don't go mad, but I have to ask … this isn't you and the twins having a laugh, is it? Doctor an old photo of you and put you in muggle clothes?"

"No," Charlie laughed, the relief at his brother's positive reaction seeping into his tense muscles and allowing him to relax a little. "He really does look that much like me."

If Bill had any lingering doubt about whether his brother was telling the truth, it dissolved when he saw the look that crossed Charlie's face when he gazed down at the photo of his son. "Don't think the thought hasn't crossed their minds, though. They wanted to borrow Elliot and bring him over so they could tell you they had accidentally given me an age-reducing potion." He grinned at Bill, who turned to look at Fleur.

"Have you ever seen a baby photo of Charlie?" Bill asked his wife, wiping the last bit of egg yolk from his plate with a slice of buttered toast.

Fleur shook her head. "I don't think so, non. Not at this age. I shall have to ask Molly when I am next at The Burrow."

Charlie winced. "Yeah, well you might want to give that a few minutes, love. Something's up with mum, and dad's on bloody tenterhooks, though I know it's partly my fault too."

"So what happened?" Bill's voice was kind. Along with Arthur, he had been an arbiter of Weasley family fall-outs for many years now.

"Honestly, I don't know exactly how it went so wrong so quickly. I wanted to tell them myself, before word got out, and Gin was trying to get into the flat, so I had to get to Mum and Dad as soon as I could." Bill nodded, encouraging Charlie to continue. "Well it was clear that something was up with Mum when I got there but I couldn't wait for a better time. 'Mione and the twins already knew, and you know what would have happened if Ginny and co found out and someone else turned up there and let it slip before I had told them."

Fleur shook her head. "Big families … so complex."

"Tell me about it," sighed Bill, and Charlie grunted his agreement.

"So when I got there I clearly startled her and she wasn't expecting me. Obviously, she thought I was in Romania, but what else could I have done? I didn't even know I was coming to England until a couple of days ago and I didn't want to tell them." He pulled a wry face. "If it hadn't gone well with Lauren, I'd have just slipped back to the reserve with my tail between my legs. And," he grinned, "If it did go well, well I might not want to get out of her bed to go to Sunday bloody dinner!"

Bill shook his head and laughed as Charlie drank more coffee, but his face became more concerned again as Charlie looked down, remembering what had happened.

"And I just cocked it up, Bill. I said the wrong bloody things in the wrong bloody order, and they both got the wrong end of the stick. Accused me of abandoning Lauren, not supporting her and Elliot, not telling them, and not once could I get them to shut the fuck up and listen to the actual story and tell them I didn't even know about Elliot myself til last night. I know I should just have waited and let them rant but Mum was being so unreasonable and Dad was just stepping in and supporting her and drawing his own conclusions and I was just like, fuck, I need to get out of there."

There was a long pause, and then a couple of hot tears dropped onto the table. "Fuck," Charlie swore again under his breath. "What a weekend, and it's only Saturday morning…"

Fleur drew her chair closer to Charlie's and rubbed his back. "If it makes you feel better, I could tell you that Bill cried last week when I got my period."

"What?" That stopped Charlie in his tracks.

Bill let out a short barking laugh and shrugged his shoulders. "It coincided with the wrong phase of the moon and I was a bit out of whack. Like you are now, so no judgement here, mate." Seeing that Charlie still didn't fully understand, he continued. "We're working hard on making Elliot a cousin. Thought we might be the parents of the eldest Weasley grandchild, actually. Thought Freddie and 'Mione were the only other contenders, so who knew you'd gone and beaten us all before we even met." He looked at Fleur. "I was all hyped up and thought this was our month, but I was wrong…" He shrugged, and she reached across the table to take his hand in one of hers while reaching for Charlie's with the other. She gave them both a squeeze.

"I love her," said Charlie, looking at his brother and sister-in-law in turn, and they could see how much he meant it. "I love her so much. I know things will get sorted with mum and dad. I'm so bloody full of love for Lauren and for Elliot and I can't keep it in. It just wants to spill out. I'm supposed to go back to the reserve tomorrow evening and right now I don't care if I never go back there again. I just want to go back to Lauren's and stay there and make it up to her."

"Right," said Bill. "I was wondering when I would get to step in and do my big brother thing. What's first?"

"How do you mean?" asked Charlie.

"Well, in no particular order, we need to make things straight with Mum and Dad, get you back to your little family, get you some time off from work and then make sure everyone else knows and has the right story so we don't have any more of this misunderstanding nonsense."

"If it helps, and would be acceptable for you," Fleur touched Charlie's arm. "I am meeting Penelope at noon. Percy is taking her for a special dinner this evening, and she has asked for my help in finding a nice outfit. I could tell her, if you like?"

"That would be brilliant," said Charlie, looking a bit more relived. "I forget we're all interconnected. I thought I was going to have to tell everyone."

"I don't think you do at all," said Bill, shaking his head. "This is the upside of a big family. You said Hermione will be telling Ginny right about now?"

"Yeah," said Charlie. "So the next thing will be Ginny flooing to The Burrow to gossip with Mum and then another big row between her and Mum when she realises Mum's jumped to conclusions and got it all wrong."

Bill looked at Fleur. "We could help with that?"

Fleur lifted her wand and summoned her shoes. "Of course. I'll go right away and let Hermione and Ginny know what happened."

"Can you ask them to make sure they tell Ron and Harry, love?" Bill added.

"I will. Au revoir. All will be well, Charlie," Fleur reassured her brother-in-law, taking his cheeks into her hands and placing a kiss on each of them in turn before she stepped into the fireplace. "I am very excited to meet them," she smiled.

"Alright then, the reserve next," said Bill, as Fleur disappeared. "What's the deal with getting you more time off?"

"I've got tons of leave owed," said Charlie. "I'm supposed to be taking it soon. It's short notice though."

"Well send an owl now, requesting that you take a week or so of leave with immediate effect to sort some family business that has unexpectedly arisen, and see what happens. And say that, if you can't have a week right away, you'd like one as soon as humanly possible." He stood up and opened a drawer, pulling out some parchment and a quill. Handing it to Charlie, he indicated that Charlie should start writing while he went to fetch their owl from his favourite daytime snoozing spot.

When Charlie had finished writing, Bill took the letter from him and tied it to the snowy owl, letting him know where he was taking it.

"When you've delivered that," said Charlie to the owl, "go and find Elena. She's with my friend Piotr. She can come back with the reply and Piotr will make sure you get to hunt and rest before you fly back." He gave the owl a quick scratch before it took off on its journey and then handed the owl a small piece of bacon rind from the edge of Bill's plate. Bill smiled to himself; Charlie was always calmer and more focused when he had creatures to love and care for.

"OK, so now us?" Bill asked. "Shall we bite the bullet and go there now, or do you need more time first?"

Charlie pulled a face. "I don't suppose it's going to get any easier?"

"I don't suppose it will."

"OK then." Charlie held up his wand and Bill followed suit. Together they apparated to the outer edge of The Burrow's wards and began the walk to the kitchen door.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Oh Gods," said Hermione to Fleur, once the older witch was settled on the other sofa. The twins had gone down to the shop, leaving the three witches to chat alone, though they were monitoring the situation through their shared bond. "So they took it really badly?"

"It sounds like Charlie hadn't really planned what to say and so he began in the wrong place and they jumped to conclusions and it all went down the hill from there."

"Bugger," said Ginny under her breath. "Mum's been a bit out of sorts all week. And she wasn't great the morning after your wedding either," she looked at Hermione, "though at the time I just assumed she was tired from all the excitement. She's not getting any younger, and there's been lots of change rather quickly, what with the war and you and Fred and everything…"

There was quiet while they all digested that.

"What do we do now?" Hermione asked no-one in particular.

"Nothing," replied Fleur. "Except for telling the others and letting them know to perhaps stay away from The Burrow for today. I will tell Penelope when I meet her for lunch, so she will tell Percy. Then if you can tell Harry and Ron, Ginny, then that will be everyone who needs to know for now."

"What about Sunday dinner?"

"What about it?" Ginny looked at Hermione. "We have to assume it's going ahead as normal unless we hear otherwise from Mum, and we'll just have to wait and see if Charlie and his new little family are there or not. Gods, I don't think I've ever looked forward to a meal so much!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Gods, I don't think I've ever dreaded something so much," Charlie said as he and Bill approached the kitchen door of The Burrow.

"Just say sorry and then I'll do the talking, if you want?"

Charlie nodded. "That would be great. I'm happy to keep my gob shut forever more, Bill. Just say the word if you need me to cast a healing spell on you or anything…"

Bill snorted, and then opened the door. "Good morning," he said to his parents, who were both sat at the table. Molly was crying, and Arthur looked almost as distressed. They both nodded a greeting.

"I'm sorry," said Charlie, speaking slowly and ensuring he looked at them both so they could see he meant it. "Although maybe not for the reasons you think. But I'm crap at this, so I've brought someone better at communicating than me…"

Bill began at the beginning and managed, to Charlie's eternal gratitude, to ensure that Molly and Arthur had the real facts of the story within a few minutes.

"So you didn't know anything?" Arthur asked, half because he wanted to ensure he had understood correctly this time and half because he wanted to ensure that Molly had.

"No," Charlie shook his head. "But that's not Lauren's fault … she had no way of finding me either. It was just an unfortunate set of circumstances and I don't like to think about what would have happened if Hermione hadn't asked to help."

"And now? I assume you'll do the right thing and propose to her, son?" Arthur looked at Bill for support in this, but Bill suddenly found a speck of link on his shirt that needed his attention.

"I don't know, dad. It's all been a bit sudden and I think we all need a bit of time to get used to it."

"Why wouldn't you propose, Charlie?" Oh marvellous, he thought; even with all the facts, Molly was about to go off again. He looked at Bill, who nodded in encouragement and Charlie knew he would have his back this time if need be.

He spoke softly and slowly this time. "Because I don't want to scare her off, Mum? Because this is so new that I don't know if I'd get it right? Because she's only just learned about magic and she's a bit freaked out by it? Because she doesn't know if our worlds could mix? Because she's a feminist cultural anthropologist who lectures about how rituals like marriage contain elements of misogyny?

"Don't you use long words with me, Charlie Weasley. As I reminded you at Fred's wedding, you are not too old for a spanking." At least she wasn't shouting this time and he thought that she was trying to make a joke, but he couldn't be completely certain.

"Oh, please give me a break, Mum." Charlie was struggling to keep control of his voice.

"Why? Because you lost sight of the way to do right by this girl?"

"No, Mum. Because I need you."

That stopped Molly in her tracks.

Charlie's hand was raking through his hair, and Molly recalled how that had always been one of the first signs of distress in this particular Weasley boy.

"And you Dad. I need you both. I need you to help me learn how to fucking parent. I didn't get the nine-month lead-in time, or the chance to fuck up a bit and put his nappies on upside down before he was properly sentient and could notice. I've got a walking, talking two year old who's calling me daddy, Mum! And let's be clear, he is way, way more intelligent than I am, and I don't fucking know where to start with that. If you need to berate me more, then so be it, but please … can you save it for another day? This only happened last night and, right now, I need to get back to them so I can figure out how to be a parent. Please…"

"Well firstly," said Molly, as she stood from her chair and walked slowly towards Charlie's, her eyes still unreadable. "You'll need to manage without the word 'fuck' for the next decade or two. I learned that the hard way, when Bill said it to Auntie Muriel." She reached out her arms and held Charlie to her ample bosom for a proper cuddle for the first time in many years. Of all her children, Charlie had always been the cuddliest as a baby, especially when he was sick or sad, but he was also the most independent as he grew, disappearing into the depths of the garden for hours on end and returning with all manner of creatures which he tried his damndest to sneak into the house.

As she caressed Charlie with one arm, Molly lifted her wand with the other, murmuring, "accio firewhisky." Bugger the physical consequences this time; she'd just have to lay on the flagstones again. As soon as the bottle reached her hand Molly repeated the spell and summoned four glasses. "Family crisis," she whispered skywards, as if needing to explain herself to the gods of morning drinking as she poured them each a generous measure. "Ask Hermione…" she smiled at the three wizards who were staring at her in uncertainty. She put a glass into Charlie's hand and tapped it with her own before taking a sip.

"I'm sorry, son. I'm listening now," she said, and then summoned her chair over and sat quietly next to him, holding his hand while he continued to spill out and try to make sense of his feelings. Bill and Arthur picked up and clinked their own glasses, sharing a look of relief.

Once Charlie had finished, Molly's advice was succinct. "The most important thing to remember, my Charlie, is that you can't really go wrong here. You will make mistakes, but he's going to love you no matter what; that's just the way it is. And the one thing I can tell you from raising seven kids is that they all come with their own personalities and there's very little you can do to change that. Your job is to keep them safe, love them up and try and steer them in the right sort of direction."

Arthur was nodding in agreement.

"And put sticking charms on their training brooms when they're not looking if they're not good flyers," added Arthur. Bill suppressed a laugh, remembering that it had taken Ron a while to get the hang of flying, and Percy had never been that comfortable on a broom. Fred, George and Ginny, however, had taken to it like ducks to water.

"Accept that some will be prefects, some will open joke shops and be annoyingly successful at it," Molly continued, winking at that, to Charlie's surprise. He assumed it was the alcohol. "And some will go and get muggle girls pregnant..." She took another sip of her firewhisky, looking into her son's eyes over the glass. Her eyes were filled with tears and Charlie worried that his actions had hurt her. Before he could open his mouth to ask her forgiveness, she continued, looking at Arthur, "…and make their parents so proud with the way they want to learn to do the right thing. Now you get back to that lovely woman and your son right now and decide together when I can meet my grandson."

Arthur was nodding furiously as Molly delivered her final view on the subject. "My vote is that you bring them here tomorrow for Sunday dinner. That way, they can meet everyone at once."


	42. A crazy Weasley Saturday (part 4)

By comparison to the morning, Saturday afternoon was a relatively calm one for most of the Weasleys. Bill and Charlie left The Burrow on good terms with their parents, with Charlie having promised to talk to Lauren about coming over for Sunday dinner, and they walked together to the outer wards. A quick hug at the gate said everything that they needed to, and then Bill twisted off, back to Shell Cottage. Charlie wasn't ready to head straight into a new interaction though. He needed time to think. So he set off on foot towards the hill, hoping that a good walk would give him a bit of space to process what had happened and consider some of the important decisions that had been swirling around in his mind for the past day or so. He could easily find somewhere secluded to apparate from when he got there; it was usually deserted anyway.

Once their eldest sons had left The Burrow, Arthur proposed a new plan for Sunday dinner. Not wanting to put too much pressure on Molly, he offered to floo to their favourite wizarding butcher's shop so they could have a barbeque instead of a Molly-cooked meal, as they had done for Hermione and Fred's wedding.

"I'll go to the baker's and greengrocer's too if you make me a list, love," he said. "And get salad and stuff. And," he said, hoping to appeal to Molly's mothering instincts, "with Lauren being a muggle then that'll be more familiar than us sitting at the table levitating bowls around."

On any other day, Molly might have protested. She enjoyed making a fuss and preparing a big family dinner, especially when her whole brood would be there. But on this occasion she knew Arthur was right. She summoned the list-making quill that George had given her and made short work of writing out what they needed.

By two o'clock, Arthur was on his way around the shops, having settled Molly into a garden chair under Hermione's favourite sewing tree with a pot of tea and some yarn catalogues. When he came back a couple of hours later, she was asleep under one of the catalogues, and he left her there. He had unexpectedly bumped into Phil at the greengrocer's and had – in an uncharacteristic fit of romance – made a tentative booking with his friend for that evening. It was about time they visited the restaurant that Hermione and the twins were always raving about, and he hoped that Molly would say yes to going out for dinner for a change.

A few miles away, Fleur was still out when Bill returned to Shell Cottage but, after lunch, dress shopping and news sharing with Penny, she joined him and they spent the afternoon gardening and gossiping about the new development in their family life. "We'll have to ask if we can borrow Elliot for some practice," said Fleur, eyeing Bill up and down as he knelt on all fours in front of her lifting weeds from the borders with his wand. She had another kind of practice in mind for him that evening.

Bill chuckled as he turned around. "I'd like that, but I suspect we'll have to get in line. Best we continue to work on making one of our own, I think," he said in a low voice, as he crawled towards Fleur, gently pushing her backwards and covering her body with his own.

Meanwhile, Ginny flooed back to Grimmauld Place to share Charlie's news with Ron and Harry, who were both a bit surprised but less interested in the romantic elements of the situation than Ginny would have liked. They saw no reason not to continue with their original plan for the day, which involved using the free tickets that Angelina had given them to her team's quidditch game. Shrugging, Ginny decided that she may as well go with them; she loved quidditch as much as they did and there would be plenty of time to chat later. Or, better still, she thought, eyeing Ron, she could find someone who would be more open to conversing about the latest development while they watched. She turned to her brother. "You have four tickets, right?"

"Yes," Ron nodded.

"Shall I floo call Luna and invite her too, then? Seems a shame to let it go to waste…"

Ron's eyes lit up, and Ginny moved towards the fireplace. Now she could enjoy the game and dissect the latest Weasley news at the same time. She resolved to do Ron another favour and invite Luna for Sunday dinner as well, on the basis that the blonde witch would be able to witness the next instalment in the expanding Weasley family saga.

Back in Diagon Alley, once Fleur and Ginny had left the flat, Hermione went down to the shop to see Fred and George.

"Well you're a sight for sore eyes," said George. The shop was the busiest it had been since the end of the war and the boys hadn't had a chance to stop since they had gone downstairs. "We had originally hoped to both go to Ange's game this afternoon, but it's a good job we changed our minds this morning. I don't think we can even get out to get lunch, so we'd never have been able to leave Lee and Verity to manage by themselves. It's great for business, but things have picked up faster than we ever imagined…"

Hermione took a quick look around. "I'll go out and buy lunch," she said, "and then I'll cover each of you in turn so you can take a break. I don't have much on."

"You're a star!" George delved into his pocket and fished out a small multi-coloured pouch. "Use that, love; it's our petty cash bag. It's keyed into the business account at Gringotts. Can you get a load of sandwiches, and maybe a few chocolate bars for later? We've already got juice and butterbeers in the staff fridge."

Hermione gave him a quick salute as he turned back to help another customer. Heading for the door, she saw Fred restocking shelves. "I'm off to get lunch for you all," she told him. He smiled and nodded; he had picked that much up through the bond.

When she returned, the rush seemed to have died down a bit; perhaps because many of those who had decided to spend the day out in Diagon Alley had had the same idea about stopping to enjoy lunch. "How about I take these up to the roof garden," she said, "and you can each have a few minutes of peace and quiet in the sun?"

"What a great idea," said Verity.

"You and Lee go first," Fred told her. "It's only fair; you've been here since first thing, while George and I sauntered in halfway through the day…"

Verity and Lee didn't need to be told twice. Lee took the sandwich platter from Hermione while Verity collected drinks from the fridge.

"Take your usual break," George said to them. "Hermione said she'll help, and we'll send a message if it gets crazy and we need you back sooner."

Hermione enjoyed helping in the shop; it was so different from anything else she had ever done, although she knew that she wouldn't want to be on the shop floor full time. But on an occasional basis it was fun to help restock and direct customers. She was much better versed in the Wonder Witch product line than the jokes and pranks, but the existence of the bond ensured that one of the boys would sense anytime she felt out of her depth. When that happened, she would soon feel a reassuring hand on her shoulder or arm as either George or Fred arrived to join and then smoothly insert themselves into the conversation, allowing Hermione to wander off to find something more up her own street. She marvelled at how well the two men worked and communicated together, now understanding that this was partly thanks to their bond.

When Lee and Verity returned to the shop floor, they assured Fred, George and Hermione that they would be fine on their own for half an hour now that the rush had abated, so all three of them took a lunch break on the roof. "You don't need to come back down, love," said Fred to Hermione, as they finished their butterbeers. "It won't be as busy in the afternoon; it never is."

"Don't you want to go to Ange's game though?" Hermione asked George. "Ginny and Harry are going … maybe Ron as well."

He shook his head. "I had a chat with her while you were with Fleur and Gin this morning and told her what was going on for me. She thinks I should spend the day with Fred, and the evening and night, if you'll still have me?" He looked a bit embarrassed.

"Of course we will," Hermione assured him, rubbing his arm.

"What would you like to do this evening, love?" Fred asked Hermione.

She considered his question for a moment. "Do you know what I would love to do?"

Fred shook his head, slightly confused. Of course he didn't; that was why he had asked. The bond could tell them about someone's current feelings, but not about their hopes, unless they were translated into a specific picture or desire. Fred tried to sense her desire down the bond, but Hermione continued speaking before he could reach any conclusions.

"I would love to cook a meal for us. And George, of course." She smiled. "Something plain and healthy; maybe a roast chicken and some salads … I've had enough take away for a bit, and I'd like to be domestic. I'm going to send Lauren a quick email and check she's OK but then I'd like to put my feet up. I don't want to go out; I think tomorrow is going to be busy and I'd like an early night. You two should go to the pub though…" She looked up at Fred, wondering if he would tease her for being boring.

Instead, he put his arm around her; proud that she was learning to state her own needs. "That sounds lovely. Georgie and I could do with a bit of pub time after dinner, I reckon." Then, in words echoing his father's, he added, "If you want to make me a grocery list, I'll pop out quickly and bring it up to you as soon as I get back."

A couple of hundred miles west of them, Charlie was still striding over the soft grass of Stoatshead Hill, but he was almost ready to apparate back to Lauren and Elliot. His method of processing was very different from Hermione's. If something was on her mind, she liked to stay put and either engage in research, sewing or domestic activities while she sorted her head out. Charlie needed to move his body briskly through space – either on foot or on his broom, but that was back in Romania and it hadn't occurred to him to take one of the old ones from the shed before he left The Burrow – in order to let his thoughts catch up with each other.

He stopped at the edge of a copse and sat down on a fallen log, checking that no-one was around before casting aguamenti and taking a long drink from his wand. It was hot, and he splashed some of the water onto his face, hoping that he wouldn't look too dishevelled when he returned to Bristol. But then he smiled, remembering that Lauren had never had a problem with his state when he had returned from long walks in Romania. On more than one occasion, he recalled with a smile and a familiar twitching in his trousers, she had used the excuse of him being hot and sweaty to pull him towards her shower. She would strip off her own clothes as well as his own and they would slowly and carefully soap and rinse each other's bodies before taking themselves, still wet, to her secluded balcony and making love on one of the padded sunbeds.

Bringing himself back to the present and looking around him, Charlie realised that he had made his decision and that it felt right. Now he just needed to tell Lauren. Checking all around him to ensure that there weren't any muggle dog walkers in sight to wonder how he had vanished, Charlie reached for his wand and twisted, thinking of her garden.

He didn't hear the quiet "whoosh" that his son whispered just before he landed, because both Elliot and Lauren were inside the cottage. The kitchen door was wide open and he could hear music playing softly inside, but it didn't feel quite right to walk in, particularly as he hadn't actually been inside Lauren's cottage yet. So he knocked, calling her name.

Just a few seconds later, a harassed-looking Lauren appeared in the kitchen. "Come in, Charlie," she said, walking over to give him a kiss on the cheek. She would have pulled away, but Charlie brought her body to his chest for a hug.

"You feel stressed, love. What is it?"

"Your son is giving me a bit of a hard time today." She sighed. "He's just thoroughly overexcited by everything that has happened, and he has too much energy. Really, I should take him out again and let him run some of it off, but…" She trailed off.

"What is it, love?" Charlie tipped her chin up to look at her face, still keeping his other arm around her.

She shrugged. "I just really wanted a few hours of pottering about the house. But I need to accept that his needs are greater than mine at the moment and take him out somewhere."

"No, you don't, love," Charlie told her. "I can help now. Where is he?"

"On the naughty step." Lauren pulled a face. "But it's probably my behaviour that needs to change, not his. He needs to be able to make sense of all of this just as much as I do."

"Can I talk to him?"

"Of course, Charlie … he's your son too," she said softly.

"I don't want to undermine you, though. I've not had any practice at this." He tightened his hug.

"Just listen to him and be honest in your answers. I'd rather you didn't disagree with me in front of him, for the sake of consistency. And I'll do the same. If you think I'm being unreasonable or there's something I don't know, then tell Elliot to wait a moment and we'll discuss it privately." She sighed. "I see too many kids who learn that they can play parents off against each other, and who have uncertain boundaries and it doesn't help anyone. Especially when their parents aren't together."

"I understand that," Charlie said into her ear. He wanted to say something about them being together, and then decided it might not be the right time. Instead, he decided to share a bit about his own day. "I faced the united parent thing this morning and, as annoying as it is, I get why it's important."

Lauren chuckled. "Did you have to sit on the naughty step?"

She felt Charlie's body sag a bit. "Don't even joke about it, love."

"Oh fuck, Charlie, I'm sorry." She pulled back a bit and looked into his eyes, as if they contained the answer to an important question.

"It's OK, love, I'm OK," he reassured. "Just a bit of a day. I'll be glad to see the end of it, to be honest."

"What are your plans? Do you have plans? Oh, hang on a mo…" Lauren realised that Elliot was still on the step and she didn't want to leave him there while she and Charlie had a long heart-to-heart. "See in there?" She pointed to the fridge that was on the other side of the kitchen. "There are some cold beers in there; help yourself. You look like you've run a mile and could do with one." She pointed in a different direction. "The opener is in that drawer."

"Gods, I love you," he whispered as he kissed her temple before he headed across the room.

Lauren didn't reply to Charlie, but she went into the hallway to get their son. "OK, lovely, have you managed to calm down a bit?"

"Yes, mummy," Elliot said.

"OK," she reached out her hand for Elliot's. "Come and see who's in the kitchen."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Once George and Fred had returned to work, shopping list in hand, Hermione had managed to sit on the sofa for six whole minutes of peace and quiet before the floo roared into life and Charlie and Elliot appeared in her living room.

"Miney!" Elliot shouted! "Where's Fred?"

"He's down in the shop, lovely. How are you?"

"I'm OK," he told her. "I floo with Daddy."

"So you did," she laughed, as Charlie put Elliot down on the floor. Immediately, he ran to Fred and Hermione's bedroom, looking for Graham.

"Oh … do you mind?" Charlie asked Hermione.

"Not in the slightest," she shook her head.

"We're not stopping long," Charlie said, plonking himself down on the sofa anyway. "I only brought him to give Lauren some time to herself. She told me about the café and Elliot and I walked there to use the floo. Well, some of us walked all the way and some of us ran out of energy after half a mile and got carried the rest, but at least he might sleep tonight! Anyway, I just wanted to let you know I'm staying there tonight. Didn't want you to have to wonder whether I'd be here for dinner or on the sofa."

"Thank you. That was very thoughtful," Hermione told him.

Charlie grinned. "Not really, love. I needed a destination, and I love visiting you."

Hermione chuckled. "Well I'm happy, because I've been wondering how you were. Fleur told us what happened. Were your mum and dad OK when you and Bill went back?"

"It was better, but something's definitely up with Mum, and Dad's in full protective mode. They want us all there for dinner tomorrow. I've not had a chance to talk properly to Lauren yet, but I'm going to suggest that we go early and let everyone know to give us a bit of time before they join." He shrugged. "It's hard to know what's best, really."

"It'll all work out," Hermione told him. "It's been a bit of a surprise for everyone. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Maybe… If I get Lauren to send you an emu, can you let the others know?"

Hermione laughed. "Absolutely. The boys are going out this evening, so I can floo call your siblings to my heart's content amidst my reading and sewing."

"And some other time," he continued, "I was wondering if I could talk to you about communication."

"I don't think I'm exactly an expert," she said, assuming he was talking about Molly. "I think your mum's just having a hard time at the moment. I might go over and have a chat with her sometime next week … see if there's anything I can do to help…"

"No, I didn't mean that," Charlie smiled. "I mean I need to find a better way to keep in touch with Lauren, and for her to reach me quickly if she needs help. I wondered if I could do emus too or if there's something else I could learn to use?"

Hermione did her best not to laugh at Charlie's conviction that muggle forms of communication must necessarily be creature-related. "Well I did think about that earlier," she told him. "I think you and I should get ourselves mobile phones. I know Lauren has one, because I've seen it, so we could send messages and call each other. It'd be good for her to be able to reach someone other than you quickly, especially when you're abroad. But I need to talk to Seamus as well. They don't usually work around magic, but his dad's a muggle and he uses one to chat to him, so he must know of a way to rig it." She pulled an amused face at the memory of her friend's love of combusting things. "Hopefully without too much collateral damage to the surrounding furniture."

Charlie didn't completely understand what that would entail, but he trusted Hermione. "That sounds good," he said.

"I'll talk to Lauren about it tomorrow," she promised. "I'll probably need to get them both set up on the same account, but we can use my parents' address and my muggle bank account to pay for them. Let me look into it; there are lots of options and I'll make sure I find one that will work in Romania without breaking the bank…"

"Well I don't mind what it costs, and you can just tell me how much money to give you," Charlie told her. "But," and he lowered his voice, even though Elliot could be clearly heard having a one-sided conversation with Graham in Hermione's bedroom, "I'll not be going back there for long, love. I've decided to resign and come back to England. The reserve is no place for kids, and Lauren needs more family and friends around her, not less."

Hermione nodded slowly. She wasn't surprised that he was thinking that way, but she wondered whether this was a conversation that he had yet had with Lauren. Deciding it was none of her business, she simply said, "well I won't actually do anything til we talk again; I'll just look into the options for you and we can go from there." She reached out to touch Charlie's arm, smiling as the news sunk in. "I'm so glad you're coming home; it's going to be great to have you around more. And your mum's going to be beside herself with joy when you tell her!"

"I know," said Charlie, grinning back. "I'm going to save it as my trump card in case she goes off on one again tomorrow!"


	43. A calmer Weasley Saturday evening

That evening saw six very different Weasley dinners. Molly had a lovely time putting a dress on and going to Phil's restaurant with Arthur, who took the opportunity to tell her that he had been asked to go to a meeting the next week to discuss a new role with Kingsley. "I get the feeling it'll pay more," he told his wife. "So we could make this a regular occasion, if you like?"

Molly did like the idea of that, especially given that Phil had had a quiet word with the waiters, ensuring that Molly would be attended, pampered and complimented within an inch of her life. Which made her very receptive to Arthur's suggestion that, tomorrow, she needed to be open and honest with the rest of her family about what was going on for her. She agreed, knowing that she couldn't carry on trying to cope without support. "I'll tell them over lunch," she said, and Arthur found he felt more relieved than he could have imagined.

Percy and Penelope were also out, at a new and fancy restaurant which had just opened in the magical quarter of Bath. Percy had bought new robes for the occasion and Penelope felt wonderful in the outfit that Fleur had helped her choose. The effort was not without cause; while they were waiting for their dessert to arrive, Percy got down on one knee and quietly proposed marriage to Penelope.

"You know that Kingsley's plan will be all over the press for the next few weeks," he said, "and I want you to be clear that I'm under no pressure to do this. Neither do I feel the need to 'do my bit'. I simply can't think of a life without you by my side, and I would love it if you would do me the honour of marrying me?"

"I'd love to, Percy … yes," she said, as the other diners discreetly congratulated them and their waiter brought two glasses of champagne and a double helping of a decadent-looking dessert on one plate with two forks.

"I'm not sure if tomorrow is the right time to tell the family or not," he added, unsure of what Penelope would think of that.

But she nodded. "Gosh no, not with Charlie's news. Why don't we play it by ear and see if there's a good opportunity to tell them without making a fuss? I don't want a big fuss, Percy, either now or when we get married, so it might work out well."

Percy reached for her hand. He was so glad to have found someone who suited him so well and whose energy matched his own.

His eldest brother Bill was equally delighted to have found a witch whose energy matched his own, but in a rather different way. He and Fleur barely ate dinner that evening, simply grabbing a sandwich each to fortify their lovemaking. His inner wolf had sensed that Fleur might be fertile again, and he was going to take every chance of getting them pregnant this month, which meant foregoing culinary pleasures. Fleur wasn't complaining; she loved sex with Bill, especially when he was this attentive for long periods of time. She could eat tomorrow; there was always food to spare at Molly's.

Ron, Ginny, Harry and Luna ate together. The quidditch game had been a relatively long one, and they were so hungry when it finished that they held hands in pairs and apparated to a quiet alley which opened out onto the edge of muggle London and was just a couple of hundred yards from a row of stalls selling street food from around the world.

Ron and Harry had learned about the area from Fred and George, who had been such poor cooks when they first left school that they ate out almost every night and thus were constantly on the lookout for new varieties of food. "It's great here, isn't it?" Ron asked the others through a mouthful of kebab, as they all sat on the grass in a square surrounded by entertainers and pub gardens, and they agreed. As he reached absentmindedly for Luna's hand, Ginny nudged Harry, who pretended not to notice. Ginny had already invited Luna for Sunday dinner and she was quietly watching the blonde witch and her youngest brother, hoping that they would get themselves properly together before too much more time had passed.

Fred and George, by contrast, were happy that their own culinary skills had improved and happier still that Hermione now shared this role with them, especially on days as busy as the one they had just had. They went upstairs after closing the shop and restocking ready for the Monday morning, making appreciative noises as the smell of roasting chicken wafted through the flat.

"It's ready whenever you are," Hermione told them, waving them up to the roof, where they found a whole array of different salads under a cooling charm that she had also modified to keep insects away. "I made several so they'll last us a few days," she said.

"Good thinking, Madame Planning Manager," George smiled. "Are you still planning to join us in your new role on Monday?"

Hermione smiled back. "That's why I'm thinking ahead." She indicated the table. "This is my work lunch for the first couple of days next week!"

Fred pulled her to his side, desperate to hold her after their hours of being apart. He was so, so in love with her, and the fact that she was so different from him just delighted him every day. George saw the gesture and raised his eyebrows.

"Still want to come pubbing with me, Freddie? Or would you rather I went out and left you to your lovely wife?"

Hermione looked lovingly at Fred, pressing the palm of her hand against his waist and tucking her head under his chin. "Georgie, once I've cuddled him during dinner, he's all yours. I've been looking forward to my alone time all day! And besides, I need to send a few owls. I was going to floo, but half your family are either out or not responding!"

She had her suspicions as to why the floo was closed at Shell Cottage, but she wasn't going to tell Fred and George that, else they would run on about it all day tomorrow. Unfortunately, she forgot that the mental picture in her head was as good as sending them an explicit postcard, and George immediately laughed.

"Oh yes? And how do you know that, Hermione?"

"I don't," she blushed. "Just a feeling I have. A sense I got from Fleur today, though I can't explain it. I think they're trying for a baby; hopefully they'll have some news for us soon."

Fred decided to rescue his wife. "So what are you trying to tell them, love?"

"Oh, Charlie came over," she said, wiping her fingers with a napkin. "With Elliot. They're all planning to go over to Mum and Dad's tomorrow morning, so I said I would let everyone else know to not turn up until after midday, to give them time together before we all get there."

Fred gently rubbed her back. She was so thoughtful, and he loved how happy she was to help things run smoothly in the large Weasley family. And his job was to make sure things ran smoothly for her. "And is there anything you need, lovely?" he asked. "Georgie and I can run and get the shop owls after dinner, but can we do anything else to make your evening easier?"

"Clear up while I write notes?" she suggested, and they both nodded.

"Done," they said in unison, getting up from the table and levitating plates and leftovers with their wands.

Owls dispatched, the boys headed out to the pub and Hermione settled back on the sofa with some sewing. Soon, she thought, she would have to see if Lauren might enjoy an evening together. She would love to look more closely at some of Lauren's craft projects, and she also secretly coveted Lauren's DVD player. She didn't know whether there was a way of making a TV player work around magic – although that would be another question that she imagined Seamus could help with, summoning her special quill to add his name to her growing list of things to do – but she loved the idea of having a close woman muggle friend again. Once Hermione had been told she was a witch, and especially after she began to attend Hogwarts, it wasn't easy to maintain relationships with friends who weren't magical. Because of all the things she wasn't allowed to tell them, for a start. She wondered how that would work for Lauren and then smiled to herself, remembering Charlie's ongoing plea for her to stop worrying about others, and simply concentrated on enjoying the peace of the flat and her thinking time.

Back in Bristol, Charlie's efforts to exhaust his son had worked well, and Lauren's two boys had returned home happy and more settled.

"I saw Graham," Elliot announced upon his arrival home. "And Miney," he added, as an afterthought."

"Great!" Lauren said. "And did you work off some of your energy?"

"I ride on Daddy's shoulders!"

"You did quite a bit of walking too though … it was a long way…" Charlie added.

"Can I dig?" Elliot asked, and Lauren nodded. "Of course you can," but he had already run out of the back door and towards his sandpit.

She turned to Charlie. "I made us a chilli for dinner; I hope that works for you?"

"Sounds lovely. What can I do to help?"

"Grate some cheese?" She opened the fridge door and handed Charlie an unopened packet of cheddar as he reached for one of the bowls that were resting in the wooden rack on the wall in front of him. Holding the cheese carefully, he slit the packet with his wand, tossed the cheese gently into the air above the bowl and then, just as his mother had taught him, applied a grating charm and smoothly directed the perfectly shredded cheese into the bowl. He vanished the wrapper and held the bowl out to a stunned-looking Lauren, whose hand had come to a halt in the drawer which held the cheese grater.

It wasn't the first time that Lauren realised what a chasm they had to cross, but she would remember it – and the events that followed – for the rest of her life as an everyday but key moment in her journey with Charlie Weasley.

"Oh Gods," Charlie realised what he had done, and reholstered his wand, stepping forward to take Lauren into his arms. "Shall I put it somewhere, like Fred had us do last night? I just don't think … I'm sorry, love. I managed it when we were in Romania; I used to hide it, so I wouldn't accidentally grab it in front of you. I could do that here too." He began looking around the kitchen, seeking somewhere that his wand would be safe.

Lauren gave a small laugh and patted his chest. "It's OK, Charlie. I'll get used to it. I don't want you to have to hide who you are, or what you can do. I just wasn't expecting it, that's all."

Charlie managed ten whole minutes without using magic after that; testing the chilli with a wooden spoon and then learning how to make guacamole from scratch, the muggle way. But when there was a shriek from the sandpit, it was Charlie who reached their crying son first. Lauren's first instinct was to join them, but she stopped herself, realising that Elliot wasn't hurt and that she needed to give Charlie the chance to parent their child as well. She watched him put his hand on the little boy's back and then scoop something up from the sand. He took his wand from his pocket, pointed it at his hand and then handed whatever was in it to Elliot.

Now Lauren needed to see what was happening. She moved closer.

"Hello," she said, trying to keep her voice level despite having mixed feelings about the way in which Charlie had so casually taken out and used his wand again.

"Mummy!" Elliot's eyes were shiny with tears but he looked happy as he showed her what was in his hand. "A worm was hurted with my spade and Daddy made him better with magic!"

Lauren looked at Charlie, and he closed his eyes, realising only then what he had done. It was one thing to use his magic in front of Lauren, but each act of magic that Elliot was exposed to made it harder and harder for Lauren to imaging how she could continue to live in the non-magical world. Elliot was such a chatterbox and he was so proud of his Daddy that he would be bound to want to tell his friends and their parents all about him and the wonderful things he did. Some things – like Graham, and the rabbits that Fred conjured – could be put down to Elliot's overactive imagination and perhaps she could tell their friends that Charlie was practised at stage magic to explain other happenings that Elliot might discuss, but instantly healing an injured worm? That would be harder to laugh off, even as crazy as it sounded. And she didn't want to confuse Elliot or cause him dissonance by having him hear her deny or dismiss things that he had seen with his own eyes.

Charlie spoke quietly, but Elliot was so preoccupied with taking the worm to a part of the garden where he would be safer that he wasn't listening anyway. "I can make him forget that I did that, if you want?"

Lauren's look was sharp. "Mess with our child's brain? I don't think so, Charlie!"

Charlie hung his head. When put like that, it sounded so harsh.

"I'm sorry, love. I should have thought to take it away and heal it where he couldn't see. But I couldn't let it die, when I could so easily help … and he was so sad for it. I wanted him to see that it was OK again…"

Lauren's heart fluttered. Now she had two men in her life who cared as much for creatures as they did for people; who felt their pain and wanted to help. How could she blame Charlie for acting on the compassion that been part of what attracted her to him in the first place? On the very first evening they met, she had been charmed by the patience that Charlie had showed in redirecting tiny stray lizards back to the woods so they weren't in danger of being trodden on by holidaymakers.

She reached to touch his shoulder. "It's OK, Charlie, I understand. It's just … well I'm realising I'm going to need to deal with some of this 'different world' stuff much sooner than I thought." She looked between her two boys. "Would you both like a treat? I think we have some coconut ice cream in the freezer…"

"Yes please!" They answered in unison and Elliot bounded back across the lawn to pull Charlie up and show him where the freezer was.

"You're to use a bowl and spoon to eat it though," she warned him with raised eyebrows and he cuddled her into his side with a wink and a kiss to her cheek.

"I promise, love."

Without telling Lauren, Charlie used a simple sticking charm on his wand the next time he was in the bathroom. It wouldn't stop him from grabbing it from its holster if he really needed it, of course, but it would ensure he had to give it an extra tug and that, he hoped, would remind him to be careful. In Romania, he had hidden or disillusioned it, and he had managed to avoid using it in front of Lauren. Charlie wasn't sure why it was harder to do that here but he had so many other things that he was trying to think about and deal with. Back in Romania, during the summer that he and Lauren had spent together, life had been simpler. It had just been the two of them amongst the trees and the mountains.

Charlie, Lauren and Elliot ate their Saturday dinner outside as well. Lauren sent Charlie and Elliot to set the picnic table and to carry everything out before joining them with the chilli. Afterwards, they put Elliot to bed together and Charlie offered to read him a story while Lauren relaxed.

He returned to the living room to find Lauren on the sofa, having poured them both a glass of wine before directly addressing the question that had been on her mind all day.

"Charlie, I think we need to talk a bit about what happens next. Where do we go from here?"

"I'm not sure what you mean, lovely," he said, wrapping his arm around her. "The simplest path that I can see is if I lean in and kiss you, and then we get naked and slide together like we'd never been apart, and make love and then make Elliot some sisters and brothers and then we'd all live happily ever after…" He leaned in and, when she didn't move away, placed a brief kiss on her lips, causing her to smile. "But that's not what you mean, is it?"

"Not exactly, though I can't say it doesn't sound tempting," she cupped his cheek with her hand. "I mean logistically. We have some big decisions to make. Which world would Elliot and I live in? How would it work? Who would we spend time with?"

"I do have a great family," Charlie smiled. "They'll drive you barmy, and you'd need to get used to being surrounded by magic and flying, but Elliot will see that anyway if he's a wizard. You've already seen how welcoming they are, and they're all yours if you'd like them." He leaned in closer again, his eyes flashing with laughter as he issued the necessary warning. "There are hundreds of them, though…"

Lauren laughed, running her fingers through her blonde curls. "I'm looking forward to meeting more of them tomorrow. Really," she reassured him when he raised his eyebrows. "I'm better at social stuff than you; it's not stressful for me. Not the meeting them bit, anyway."

"Which bit is stressful?"

"Not knowing what to expect, I suppose. Having so many questions, about everything. Whether I need to pull Elliot out of his playgroup next week before he starts telling the other kids you mend worms with magic. And I know it's still a few years away, but what would we do about Elliot and school?"

"That one's easy. Magical children are usually home schooled until they're eleven and then they go to Hogwarts."

"The magical boarding school in Scotland which you get to on a magical red train with magical chocolate frogs in your tuck box. I've heard this bedtime story from Hermione!" Lauren rolled her eyes, pretending exasperation.

"That's the one, love." He laughed loudly. "I'll take you there, if you like. The Headmistress is a good friend. Very bright, so you'll get on like a house on fire, and I'm sure she'll be happy to answer any questions that I can't. Between her and mum, they'll have you sorted in no time."

"I always liked the idea of home schooling," she said. "The chance to not have one's child taught to conform … that's very appealing to someone like me. The question is more whether I could afford to leave work completely and do that full-time, especially as you're abroad so much…"

"Well, that's something I wanted to talk to you about. I've made a decision," Charlie said. "I don't want to put any pressure on you, but I'm going to hand in my notice and come back to England."

"You're leaving Romania?"

Charlie nodded and took her hand. "Love, I've loved my work with dragons, but the last day or so, well some things put others into perspective."

"Charlie, I can't ask you to leave work you love…"

"You haven't asked me to do anything, love. You didn't even know I worked with dragons until, what, a few days ago?"

"Yeah, you just said animals; I thought you were some kind of park ranger," she snorted.

He shifted to get more comfortable. "Look, we don't need to make any absolute decisions now, but there are a few things you should know. I've sent an owl … a message asking to take some of the leave I have owed. I'm confident my boss will let me stay here for the next week or so. And when it's time to go back, the first thing I'm going to do is tell him what's happened and hand in my notice."

"You're sure?"

"Never been surer, love. I have a lot to catch up on, with both of you." He stroked her hand again, and Lauren tried hard to resist leaning into him. "If you don't want me to stay here, that's OK. And I know you might need to work during the week, so maybe I could look after Elliot when you do that and then that solves the playgroup problem?"

"It's the university summer break, Charlie. We all stay at home pretending to do research for three months, so I'm on leave til halfway through September. Playgroup just gives me a bit of a rest, but it would be lovely if you spent more time with Elliot anyway. I start back to work in September, but I only work a couple of days a week and I can do a lot of my work online now, so it's very flexible."

Charlie didn't know what that meant, but decided to file it away and ask later rather than go off on a different tangent. "OK," he continued, "I don't want this to sound odd, but my line of work, well it pays well. And then comes with the added advantage of putting you somewhere so remote that you have no chance to spend any money. I can afford to take some time off and get to know Elliot. Make up for lost time. I've enough put away to support us for a couple of decades without any job at all, love. Well in my world, anyway; I don't know what yours costs to live in."

"I'm OK financially in mine too, Charlie. That's why I only work part time. It's the sad advantage of having parents who died young." Charlie's thoughts instantly went to Harry, and he wondered if he and Lauren would ever discuss that common ground. "We don't need to worry about money between us, then. And going by Hermione's ability to use a laptop with a solar charger," Charlie didn't know what that meant either, but he remembered her funny grey thing that she allegedly read books on and filed that question away for later as well, "well then I could carry on my work even if I lived in your world. Enough to live on, anyway."

"See, so we have the means and the will and some time to think it all through … we can relax and figure it out in our own time."

"Ohhhh." The knowledge that Charlie would soon be back in England and able to parent with her made Lauren feel much more relaxed. She had been managing fine on her own – although that's not to say there weren't times when she would have been glad of a partner – but the added possibility of Elliot being magical had added a whole dimension of complexity that she wasn't sure how she would cope with.

IF he was magical, she reminded herself.

"I'd like to wait and see if Elliot's definitely a wizard before I make any big decisions," she said slowly, feeling relieved when Charlie nodded in agreement. "I know he probably is, but we don't know for sure, do we?"

"No," Charlie agreed. "We can check with Mum and Dad tomorrow, but I think the only definite sign is if one of us actually sees him doing accidental magic that can't be explained by the actions of anyone else around at the time. And your experiences," he waved towards the kitchen, where the marks were still on the wall, "well I suppose there's still the chance they could have been made another way…" He trailed off, not really believing that himself, but if Lauren needed more time, then he would do whatever he needed to do to get her that.

"If he's a wizard, well," she sighed, more from tiredness than dismay, "I think we need to come into your world, and give him every chance to grow up well amongst other magical people. Though I'd like to make sure he has exposure to his non-magical heritage as well."

"Of course." Charlie touched her arm. "I want that for him too, and 'Mione and Harry will be able to help there."

"If he's a wizard, I don't want him to have to grow up hiding that from others," Lauren continued. "Like it's something to be ashamed of, that he can't tell his friends about. I know from Fred that you all have to do that a bit when you were out, but not when he's in his own home. That doesn't feel right. I want him to grow up around other witches and wizards."

Charlie kept quiet, letting her know with his eyes and his touch that he was listening but allowing her to process her thoughts and feelings out loud, as she always seemed to need to do.

"If he's not a wizard himself, though, then I want us to discuss him growing up more in the non-magical world, as he would have done with me if you hadn't come along, and not feel like he's the odd one out in a big magical family." Charlie winced a bit that she even thought in those terms, but it was better that he knew that than not. And her rationale made sense, even though it pained him a bit to think of what that outcome might do to their chance of being together.

When Lauren began yawning, Charlie suggested they call it a night. They had agreed to make an early start in the morning. Lauren wanted to drive to The Burrow, and they wanted to maximise their time with Molly and Arthur before the rest of the family arrived. "Where would you like to sleep?" she asked Charlie. "There are two options; the sofa, or my bed. Well, our bed; Elliot still turns up to join me most nights, even though he has his own bed now."

Charlie smiled. He still had very fond memories of spending nights in Molly and Arthur's large and colourful bed, mostly with Bill and Percy, but sometimes with their younger siblings too, especially in the days after Molly had given birth in it. He remembered vividly how they would all be made to play downstairs or in the garden while she was in labour. However, once each new baby – or babies, on one exciting occasion – had arrived and they were allowed back into the bedroom, they didn't want to leave again. Molly always had several willing baby cuddlers and the growing family continually put Arthur's transfiguration spells to the test as he needed to make the bed bigger every time they added a new family member. "I love a family bed," he told Lauren.

"Well I'm very attached to my side," she smiled, "so let's hope you like the other one."

"I'll be very happy with any side of any bed as long as you're in it." He began to rise off the sofa and, that time, his smile was more suggestive. Lauren's became more awkward.

"Charlie … I know I was being all flirty last night, but I think tonight needs to be a platonic thing. Not just because of Elliot … I really don't want to be coping with processing any," she paused, trying to find the right way to say what she wanted, "well … 'morning after' feelings. Not at the same time as meeting your folks."

"Totally cool with me," Charlie said, nodding. "We'll have a platonic family sleepover and then we'll get up early so that Elliot and I can make you breakfast in bed before you terrify me by driving me to The Burrow!"

Lauren reached for the hand that he offered, allowing him to pull her up. "I'm not that bad a driver. But it'll make up for you all making me throw up when you apparated me here."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Back in Diagon Alley, Fred slowed down his drinking when he realised that George was really going for it. He wondered for a moment whether he should be worried, but decided that George deserved to be able to go on a bender now and again. If it became a frequent occurrence, then he would worry. His brother was having a lovely time and seemed far more relaxed than he had done all day, as he knocked back firewhisky shots with Oliver, whose team wasn't playing that weekend. When they left the pub, Fred half lifted George off the ground and apparated him to the flat, not wanting to undertake the long winding walk which would slow his return to the arms of his wife.

He would have crept to the bedroom if he could, but George was serenading him with muggle pop songs, so Hermione inevitably got up and came to see if he needed help. Together, they persuaded George out of his shoes and outer clothes and half pushed, half levitated him onto Fred's side of the expanded bed, whereupon he declared his undying love for them both and then immediately began snoring.

Once Hermione and Fred had brushed their teeth and placed a big glass of water and a hangover potion next to George, they climbed under the covers as well, Fred lay on his back and looked at his sleeping brother on his left and then at Hermione, on his right. "Do you think it'll ever just be you and me again?" he whispered.

"Of course it will, silly. Everything has happened at once, and very quickly, but it won't last forever."

"I suppose." Fred didn't sound certain.

"To be honest, this is exactly what I wanted," Hermione told him.

"To have my twin join us in our marriage bed?" He touched their bonding cord with his fingers, looking half amused and half shocked.

Hermione laughed softly. "No, to have our home become another Weasley family hub. This is what I never had. I'll take sharing our bed with nephews and husbands-in-law for a few nights here and there … it's a small price to pay for being surrounded by our family."

Fred gave her a long kiss and then turned out the light, falling asleep almost immediately. Hermione took a few minutes to find a comfy position and finally snuggled herself into Fred's side, sliding her hand over his body. She reached out towards where she thought George's hand might be, wanting to give the younger twin the comfort of her touch as well. When her fingers reached his, however, she found that Fred was already gently holding his twin's hand in his own. Hermione smiled, laid her hand over their entwined ones, and fell asleep looking forward to their family Sunday at The Burrow.


	44. Driving to The Burrow

Lauren wasn't a bad driver. But Charlie Weasley didn't even know the M5 motorway existed before today, so there had been no opportunity to prepare himself for the reality of being in the passenger seat of a small blue metal machine that was hurtling along it at seventy miles an hour. Amongst tens of other small metal machines of varying colour, some of which seemed to be zooming in and out of the different lanes and overtaking each other as if they were all looking for a big golden snitch flying along ahead of them. Too late, Charlie wished that he had found a way to get a broom and flown above the car, though he didn't think he could have matched Lauren's speed even on the firebolt that he had bought himself to whizz around the reserve on.

"Are we nearly there yet?" he asked for the third time, as they reached the outskirts of Bristol, five miles after they left Lauren's cottage.

"Not allowed to keep asking," Elliot informed him from his car seat in the back. "Or you won't get car sweeties."

"There are car sweeties?"

Lauren laughed at the excitement in Charlie's voice. "In the glove compartment. Yes, pull that handle. The front seat passenger is in charge of distribution, so that's you. I like the black and white stripey humbugs and the pink rhubarb and custard ones best, but you'll have to unwrap me one and pop it in my mouth so I can keep my hands on the wheel, please, and if you make anyone sick from giving them too many then you have to clear it up."

"Well that all seems straightforward," Charlie grinned at his son in the rear view mirror as he unwrapped a humbug and gently placed it between Lauren's lips. He lifted a packet of jelly sweets out as well and held them up. "Are these yours?" Elliot nodded, just as excited as his father. Charlie twisted in his seat, holding the packet so that the little boy could choose for himself. "OK then, as you're the expert, which colour do you recommend I try first?"

The trialling and discussion of various jelly and hard sweets took them to the Taunton turn off, for which Lauren was immensely relieved. She was also a bit concerned about the volume of sugar that Charlie was gaily putting into their child, but decided to let it go on this occasion. He needed to learn the ropes for himself and, if Charlie ran out of steam to run around with his hyperactive son, she was confident that Fred and George would step in. She just hoped that Elliot would behave for his grandparents and not be too silly. But, she thought, with Charlie being one of seven, his parents had probably seen it all anyway.

Charlie was much calmer once they were driving on the less busy Devon roads, and Lauren noted that it had been a good idea to get him off the motorway, even if it took a bit longer through the Blackdown Hills. She had looked up the directions with Charlie's help and written them on a post-it note that was stuck to the windscreen, and she knew that this road would take her all the way to the correct turn-off. Charlie was almost enjoying the ride now that they had slowed down, and he and Elliot passed the time by looking for and pointing out different kinds of animals and birds to each other. Lauren's heart swelled. She hadn't given much thought to how much Elliot would love having his dad around before Hermione had got in touch. She had a pragmatic streak and had realised when she was pregnant that there wasn't any point spending energy wishing for something that might not even be possible. But now that Charlie was here, she realised just how much he could add to Elliot's life.

And maybe her own, if she let him. She had slept well with him in her bed. Charlie had needed to get up in the early hours in order to tend to Elena, who had arrived with a note from his boss confirming that he could take some time off. Charlie had chuckled – as quietly as he could, so as not to wake Lauren and Elliot – when he read his boss' note that it was 'about bloody time he had a break'.

When Charlie had come back to bed, he found that Elliot had somehow moved himself to lie lengthways across the width of the bed not occupied by Lauren; the top of his head nestled against his mum's tummy and his limbs spread like the sails of a windmill. Charlie had stood there for a moment, watching them sleep and wondering what to do. It was a little early to get up, even for him, but he didn't want to disturb either of them. His problem was solved when Lauren's eyes slowly opened, sensing him there. She saw his dilemma, gave a soft smile and then moved her hips forward, scooping Elliot into a more diagonal position and making a space behind her. She lifted the quilt, indicating for Charlie to get in.

"You're sure?" he teased as he climbed under the quilt. "I thought you were attached to this being your side?!"

"Just this once..."

Lauren had sensed that Charlie wasn't sure how to arrange himself in the smaller space that he now had, and reached for his hand with her own, pulling his arm around her body in a gesture that clearly let him know that she was open to him spooning her. With a happy sigh, he wrapped his body around hers and whispered in her ear. "That was my reply from the reserve, love. I'll be in England for at least the next week."

"Mmmmm. Good." Lauren had muttered sleepily.

Charlie got a bit lost in his own thoughts on their drive to The Burrow too. He had already brought Lauren up to date on the rest of his night-time activities. Elena had declined a bit of leftover chilli from the fridge and Charlie had looked around helplessly, unable to find anything that he could feed to the little creature as a reward for her long journey. He realised that he would need to bring a few things to Lauren's house if he would be spending more time there. Scratching Elena's head in a soft apology, Charlie had reassured her that she would get a treat soon. They weren't that far from Shell Cottage and it was already light, so Charlie decided to send her to Bill and Fleur, asking them to look after Elena for a few days, adding a few quick lines to bring them up-to-date.

Lauren had slept even better in Charlie's arms. She was surprised to be woken by Elliot telling his mum that breakfast was ready. He and Charlie had woken at around the same time and Charlie had got his son up and dressed without waking her.

In the kitchen, Lauren found a cup of tea and a boiled egg and soldiers waiting for her. "I've not made a big breakfast, love," Charlie said, as he bit into his own food. "Mum always cooks like she's feeding an army, so it's never a good idea to have a lot before you go there!"

Lauren nodded her thanks.

"I picked egg and soldiers! And I'm ready!" Elliot told her proudly. "Daddy helped!"

"That's wonderful," Lauren smiled at him. "Well then, I'll just have a quick shower and grab my bag and then we can go." She looked at Charlie. "Is there anything I need to bring? Should we take any food, or some wine?"

Charlie shook his head. "Mum won't want that."

"I don't like going empty-handed," she said, frowning. "I don't know about your world, but I was brought up to take something for the host, even if it was small." Her eyes lit up as a thought crossed her mind. "Flowers! There are some big daisies in bloom out in the garden. Why don't you help Elliot pick a bunch for your mum while I shower? If you wrap them in some wet kitchen paper and then put foil around it," she indicated the direction of both, "then they'll stay fresh in the car."

Personally, Charlie would have used a charm, but it was important, he knew, to respect and learn about muggle ways. And who knew, maybe some of them were better than magical means of doing things. He suspected that, once Hermione had set him up with one of these phone things, muggle communication might be quicker and more straightforward than using owls or the floo.

He was brought out of his reverie as they turned into an even narrower lane with high hedges which Charlie recognised as the one that led around the edge of their village. But Elliot had run out of patience with the fact that both of his parents were in their own worlds rather than his.

"I like to talk," he complained.

"Sorry, mate," Charlie smiled back at him. "I got lost in my thoughts there for a moment. Let's talk," he said, turning to Lauren. "What would you like to chat about, love?" His face fell as he saw Lauren's. She looked concerned; worried even. Checking the rear-view mirror to make sure that no other cars were behind her – which was quite unlikely at this hour on this road – she slowed the car right down, looking for somewhere to stop.

"I can't do this," she said.

Charlie's stomach dropped. Was it too soon? Had he pushed too hard for this meeting? Had it finally all got too much for her? "What's wrong, love?" he spoke softly, reaching for the hand that gripped the steering wheel.

"This road; I don't want to go down here. It feels very wrong. We need to go back." She pulled her hand away, reversing the car into a gateway and turning it around in the road so that it pointed in the opposite direction.

Charlie was so surprised that he didn't say anything for the whole time it took Lauren to drive back to the main road. But, with another sudden drop of his stomach, he realised what was going on.

"Love," he said. "Can you do me a favour and pull into the next layby?"

"Alright," Lauren told him, "I could do with a break while we decide what to do. I'm sorry, but that road felt horrible. Like something terrible would happen if I kept driving."

Charlie nodded. "I know. I've realised why, and I need to send my dad a message." When the car stopped, they both got out and went to stand by the hedge. Although Elliot remained in the car, safely buckled into his seat, Charlie whispered in Lauren's ear, wanting to make sure he wouldn't be overheard. "I need to cast a spell, like the horse Elliot saw, to contact my dad. Do you want me to walk further away so he won't see?"

Lauren shook her head. "What difference is one more inexplicable story going to make?! The playgroup leaders are either going to think he's a liar or that I've got him on E numbers!"

Charlie wasn't sure if she was stressed, cross or both, and he had no idea what E-numbers were, but he leaned in and gave her a side hug. Then he raised his wand, careful to check that no other cars were coming, looked at Elliot in the back seat to help with his happy thought and cast, "expecto patronum!"

A small silvery dragon shimmered into view, and both Lauren and Elliot gasped.

"Tell Arthur Weasley: we need you to take the muggle repelling wards down. We're only a few minutes away, and they're affecting Lauren. And put the kettle on, please. She's going to need tea and chocolate."

While they waited for a reply – because, as he explained, there was no point moving until they knew his dad had sorted things – Charlie quietly explained the situation to Lauren. "It's so we can use magic at home without worrying about being seen, and also to protect non-magical people."

She nodded. She would need to think about this later. How could she be a regular visitor to his parents' home if they used their magic to keep non-magical people away? But at least she felt calmer now that she was further away from the turn-off, and she was ready to give it another try, as long as she didn't have to encounter that feeling again.

As if he could read her mind, Charlie continued. "Bill and Fleur will be able to sort it properly later; it won't happen again. They are both brilliant with this stuff and there are ways of keying individual people into the wards. I'm sure they can do something so that you feel very welcome but that still keeps others out."

"Ooooooh, animal!" Elliot hadn't yet encountered weasels, else he would surely have announced the species of his grandfather's patronus in the same way that he had greeted Ginny's, but Charlie and Lauren weren't in any doubt about what his shout signified.

"I am SO sorry," said the weasel. "Lauren, please forgive us. We thought we had taken them all down. It's definitely all clear now, and Molly is laying out a pot of tea and the largest chocolate cake in the west country."

"Alright mate," said Charlie to Elliot. "Off we go again," and they got back into the car and headed back towards The Burrow. This time, Lauren didn't get the unpleasant sensation, for which she was very grateful. Instead, she felt a welcoming warmth when she reached the point at which she had previously turned back. Charlie watched her face carefully as they drove the final mile. He was excited to share his home and family but also nervous at whether the bringing together of his two very different worlds would go well. "Remember I told you how weird it looks?" Charlie reminded Lauren, but she still gasped with delight and disbelief when they turned into the driveway and she finally saw Charlie's childhood home in full relief.

"Oh God, it's like something out of a storybook!"

"You like it?" he grinned.

"I love it!" The moment she stopped the car next to the battered blue Ford Anglia which the twins had somehow managed to rescue from the forbidden forest a few weeks prior, Lauren released her seatbelt, opened the car door and jumped out. The thrill of seeing the tall, rickety, rustic house cleared away her residual concern from the incident with the wards and Molly and Arthur's first sight of their first grandchild's mother was of a small, round, brightly-coloured, happy looking woman who was slowly turning around with a wide, delighted smile on her face at the sight of their home and garden.

Warmed beyond belief at her reaction to what they considered a humble home, they walked towards her slowly, not wanting to break the spell that she seemed to be under. "I feel like I'm in a fairytale!" she told them, unabashed and holding her hands to her cheeks in delight and disbelief.

Unable to hold back, Molly stepped forward and pulled Lauren into a long hug, introducing herself as she did. When it came to his turn, Arthur tried to be more reserved, but this time it was Lauren who initiated the hug, wanting to connect with the man who had raised her own son's father. Then Molly reclaimed her again. All a bit overwhelmed, they had to say in gestures and eye contact what they didn't yet quite have words to express.

Lauren was surprised to find herself feeling teary at the idea of having parents in her life again, a feeling exacerbated by the soothing noises that Molly was making as she rubbed the young woman's back. Charlie had told them yesterday that Lauren was an orphan and, having given Harry all the motherly love and care that Lily hadn't lived long enough to give him herself, Molly was always happy to adopt another motherless child, no matter their age or stage of life.

Meanwhile, Charlie was fiddling with Elliot's car seat and struggling to get it opened so he could release the child from its confines. In the end, he simply pointed his wand at the buckle and murmured a charm, with a "shhhh" to Elliot, who giggled in delight to see his dad's unauthorised use of magic. He was already picking up the fact that his dad could do marvellous things with his stick that his mum wasn't always so sure about. Elliot desperately hoped that, when he was as big as his dad, he could have a stick too. He would very much like to be able to mend worms whenever he wanted.

Scooping his son into his arms, Charlie protected Elliot's head with one hand so as not to bang it on the door and then stood the little boy on the ground so he could walk with Charlie to meet his grandparents. Somewhat shyly, Elliot reached for Charlie's hand and pulled him to a stop.

Charlie squatted on the ground.

"Mummy!" Elliot requested, holding his arms out in a request for Lauren to lift him. Lauren gave Molly one final squeeze and then turned and walked back a few steps, scooping Elliot up and pressing him to her body.

"It's OK, lovely. It's OK to feel shy." Elliot's tummy felt a bit funny and he pressed his face to Lauren's neck; not completely hiding, but taking his time to assess Molly and Arthur from the safety of his mother's arms.

Lauren shot an apologetic look at Molly, who immediately reassured her. "Everything's fine, and there's no rush." Percy had been very similar as a child; sometimes needing time to get used to people before he committed himself. "Arthur and I will go inside and bring out the tea and cake. It's promising to be a lovely day so we've set up out here. Make yourselves at home, do." She waved her hand towards a long wooden table on the grass which had benches all around it.

Once back in the kitchen, Molly stuck her head in the floo, calling out to anyone at the flat above the shop. When a pyjama-clad Fred wandered into the living room, she addressed him briefly. "Please, pop into the Alley and get some chocolates before you come over. This is more stressful for Lauren than we thought, and maybe it'll help." She went to pull away and then had another thought. "And a calming potion, if you have any. I don't know if she'll want it, but we can offer. I've used all mine up and I need to brew more."

Fred reassured his mum that they would bring both, and asked how things were going. "Great," said Molly. "It's just a lot for everyone to take in. But we'll get there." As she withdraw her head from the fireplace, Fred stood back up. Hermione would be delighted to hear that.

Back in the garden of The Burrow, Charlie was looking at Lauren, who reassured him in turn. "We're good," she nodded, watching Charlie watch his little boy. It was still hard to believe that they had only met each other a couple of days ago. It already felt like much longer. "I think maybe Elliot's feeling a bit shy," she continued. "It doesn't happen often, does it lovely?" She nuzzled Elliot's head with her face. "But better now than later."

"Shall we?" Charlie indicated the bench and tables and Lauren nodded.

"That's a great idea. We can all sit and have a cuddle and maybe Elliot will feel like saying hello in a few minutes." Charlie looked relieved as Lauren turned to speak directly to Elliot. He loved the way she spoke to him so clearly and as if he was an adult. No wonder his own speech was so advanced. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to, lovely. Those people are your Daddy's Mummy and Daddy." She stroked the soft red hair that was the exact same colour as his dad's. "Remember we talked yesterday about meeting lots more people? Those people are Fred and George's Mummy and Daddy too!"

"How can they be everyone's Mummy and Daddy?" Elliot's curiosity was piqued.

"Well they're not everyone's Mummy and Daddy," she explained, starting to walk slowly towards the garden, "but they had lots of children so they are quite a few people's Mummy and Daddy."

"And the horse?" Lauren was confused for a moment and looked around, assuming that Elliot had spotted a horse somewhere in the grounds of The Burrow until Charlie stepped in.

"Yes, they are Ginny's Mummy and Daddy too," he said, leading them to the nearest bench and putting his strong arm around Lauren's waist to keep her steady while she stepped over the bench with one leg, straddling it before sitting down. Elliot was still clinging to her, so she was grateful for the assistance. "Ginny doesn't look like her horse though," Charlie continued explaining as he sat down beside them. "She has hair like us too, but longer. She'll be here today and you can meet her as well, if you like." He raised his eyebrows at Lauren, hoping for a good conversation when Elliot met Ginny after encountering her patronus the previous morning.

But Elliot was still figuring out the relationships in his head. "Mummy doesn't have a Mummy and Daddy," Elliot told Charlie, and the older wizard reached out to stroke Lauren's arm.

"I know, mate," he said, desperately hoping that Lauren wouldn't be too upset by this turn of conversation. Tears sprang to Lauren's eyes and she pulled a brightly coloured hanky from her pocket to dab at them. This was all a bit overwhelming and emotional for her as well, actually. Not just the reminder of her own lack of family, but the wards and the enormity of being in this new world. Charlie kept his attention on Elliot, hoping to give Lauren space to compose herself. "That's why we all need to love her even harder."

Elliot nodded, looking serious, as Lauren felt fresh tears flow from her eyes. She shook her head at Charlie, trying her best to smile. This was not how she had wanted her meeting with Molly and Arthur to begin. "Don't be nice to me," she said, with a warning tone, and Charlie laughed, leaning forward to whisper in his son's ear.

"Do you know what ticklish means?" he asked the little boy.

Elliot's face lit up. "Tickles are when mummy makes me laugh with her fingers," he told Charlie.

"Have you ever tried tickling your mum?" Elliot shook his head. "Shall we try now?" Charlie asked, with a sly and somewhat suggestive glance at Lauren. The redheaded wizard knew full well that Lauren was very ticklish, especially around her ribs. He had learned that during the long, lazy nights that they had spent together, and it had both delighted him and caused him to need to remember that he needed to stroke that part of her body a little more firmly when they made love, else she would collapse in giggles, bringing other kinds of pleasure to a temporary pause.

Grinning, Charlie reached out his hand towards Lauren, pointing to the side of her waist. Elliot immediately understood and began to move his little hands to tease his mum's sides.

It had the desired effect. Lauren began to laugh and wriggle, begging the two of them to stop. Not that Charlie was doing much with his own hand; he was mostly encouraging Elliot, though his large fingers might have rested themselves on her back. Just to make sure she didn't fall off the bench, of course. Lauren's tears had turned to happy ones and the whole scene made Molly, who was watching from the kitchen window, turn to Arthur with a few tears of their own.

"She's lovely," Molly sighed to herself. "I like her. The poor thing though; she's had so much to deal with in her life already." She shook her head, wondering how she could best help this woman that her son was bringing into their lives. Turning back to watch the little family again, she smiled when she noticed Lauren subconsciously leaning into Charlie's touch. "Do you know, Arthur?" she addressed her husband, who immediately moved to her side to look out of the window with her. "I think they're going to be OK. Let's give her a minute, and then we'll go back out and see if our grandson is ready to say hello…"


	45. Grandparents and garden gnomes

After a few minutes of cuddling his mummy while listening to his daddy pointing out and softly describing the different parts of the house and garden from their seat at the picnic table, Elliot had loosened his grip on Lauren. He turned himself around to face Charlie, resting his back against Lauren and his feet on the bench between his parents, wanting to see where Charlie was pointing.

Charlie hoped that this was a sign of his shyness dissipating a bit. He was proven correct when, upon seeing Molly emerge from the house levitating a large tray containing everything they needed for a second breakfast of tea and cake, Elliot scrambled down from the bench, ran towards his grandmother and gave an excited shout.

"YOU have a stick as well!" Elliot exclaimed, pointing to Molly's wand. Molly smiled. He might have responded in a Percy-like way straight out of the car, but his volume level in that moment reminded her of the young Fred, who had been the loudest and most extraverted of her own children. "Daddy has a stick, and Fred and Miney." Elliot tipped his head and thought carefully. He didn't know if NoFred had a stick, but he would ask. "Can I have a stick?"

"Well," said Arthur, right behind his wife. "That's a very good question. I'm not sure right now, but that's something we'll have to talk about." He smiled broadly at the little boy, and Elliot grinned back. He liked this funny-looking smiley man.

Molly smiled at Elliot too, but she felt that the young woman sitting at the table needed her attention more than he did. She walked around the bench and slipped her arm around Lauren's waist. "Chocolate cake. It'll help," she promised, cutting a large slice, putting it on a plate and handing Lauren a fork. "With the magic and the overwhelm," she continued. "Don't wait … really," she urged, and Lauren obediently dug into the gooey treat, murmuring a thank you to Molly as the Charlie's mum fussed, petted and poured her a cup of tea. Lauren gave a groan of pleasure, not just at the exquisite taste but at the joy of feeling more normal again after her experience with the wards and the emotional experience of meeting Molly and Arthur.

Arthur had crouched down and was letting Elliot see his wand. "Is this OK?" he asked Lauren after a moment, and Lauren nodded.

"He's completely fascinated by them," she told Arthur. "Charlie healed an injured worm in front of him yesterday evening and now his curiosity knows no bounds!"

Molly gave Charlie a sharp look. As a mother, she could see the implications of that even if her son hadn't thought it through at the time. She turned back to Lauren, choosing her words carefully. "And are you alright with that, lovely? It must all be a bit new and unusual to you…"

Lauren nodded, appreciating Molly's consideration. "It's very new. And yes," she gave a short laugh, "unusual is a good word for it. I only met Hermione a few days ago, and I'm still adjusting." She looked into Molly's eyes, confident that Charlie's mum was as direct as she was herself. "It's what happens as a result that worries me more."

Molly sat down on the opposite side of the table, reaching out to pat Lauren's hand. "You can talk to me anytime, you know?"

Lauren nodded. "I will. I have lots of questions." She flashed her eyes at Elliot and Molly immediately understood that she was concerned about being overheard. "Maybe in a bit." Then she remembered something. "Elliot…" Lauren spoke softly, and Elliot rushed to her side. Lauren whispered into his ear and the little boy immediately nodded and ran to the car, whose back door was still open. Climbing inside, he retrieved the bunch of daisies and carefully carried them back to the table. Reaching Molly, he held them out in his hands.

"Me and Daddy pick these for you," he said.

"Why thank you, lovely," Molly said. Arthur leaned forward excitedly. He had spotted that they were in something silver that he hadn't encountered before and was keen to examine it.

Elliot tipped his head to one side. "Mummy calls me lovely too," he told Molly.

Molly smiled, trying to curb Arthur's enthusiasm by handing him the flowers to examine. He immediately began to pick at the foil. "Well I think you are lovely, Elliot. I'm very happy to meet you. Would you like to sit with us and have some cake and juice?" She held out her hand and he raised his little arms, allowing her to lift him onto the bench to sit between her and Arthur.

"Thank you," he said politely. And without any formal introduction having taken place, Elliot simply accepted his grandparents into his life. Over cake, tea and Elliot's first taste of pumpkin juice, he and they began to make their way into each other's hearts. After he had eaten half of his cake and listened to Lauren patiently explaining the composition and function of tinfoil and kitchen paper to his grandfather, Elliot put down the tiny fork that Molly had brought out for him to use. There was one thing he needed to clear up. "What's your names?" He patted Arthur, who smiled widely.

"Well," Molly said, patting Elliot in turn. "As you're our first grandchild, it's only fair that you should help to decide what everyone will call us. Arthur? Any suggestions?" She nudged her husband, indicating that he should put the flowers down. Quietly, he moved a glass out of sight underneath the table and enlarged it. He caught his son's eye and Charlie surreptitiously reached down and filled it with water from his wand. Lauren smiled to herself and then laughed softly as she caught Molly's eye. The two of them were about as subtle as a couple of drunken rugby players thinking that they were whispering to each other on their way home from the pub.

"I called both my grandads 'grandad'," Arthur told Lauren when his attention returned to the rest of the group. He turned his gaze to Elliot. "And so did your daddy. I'd like that. So my name's Grandad. Or Grandad Arthur if you like."

Elliot nodded, a serious look on his face.

Arthur looked at Lauren. "Did you know your grandparents?"

"I knew my mum's parents," she said. "Although they're gone now. I never met my dad's mum and dad though."

"What did you call them?" Charlie asked.

"Nanny and grandad," she replied with a smile.

"I quite like Nanny," Molly said slowly, considering the sound of the word. "It's quite friendly, but Gran or Granny are nice too. What do you think, Elliot? Do you want to call me Nanny or Granny or Gran or something else?"

At first Elliot looked a bit confused, and then a look of wonder crossed his face. "Are you my Nanna?" he asked Molly. "Do you make cake?" He pointed to the remaining cake before turning to Lauren and repeated the question. "Did you get me a Nanna?"

It took Lauren a few seconds, and then her face broke into a huge smile. "Oh God," she said, biting her lip. "I didn't even think…" Her eyes welled up again, although she didn't look unhappy.

"What is it, love?" Charlie asked, a bit concerned.

"It's not bad," Lauren said. "It's rather sweet. Elliot has a book that he loves me to read to him, about a boy called Edward. Don't you, lovely?" Elliot smiled and nodded vigorously in response. "Well, Edward's grandmother is called Nanna and in the story they bake cakes together. And Elliot has always wanted a Nanna to bake with, which is how he knows about my parents because I had to tell him that wasn't, well…" she broke off, seeing the sympathetic faces and knowing she didn't need to finish that sentence.

"Yes Elliot," said Molly, turning to her grandson. "I'm your Nanna, and I can't wait to start baking with you. You just ask Mummy to let me know when you're free and we'll make her whatever is her favourite cake. And a lemon drizzle one too, because that's your daddy's favourite." She held out her arms and Elliot climbed up into her lap, just as Edward in his book did with his own Nanna.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Back at the flat above Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, Hermione Granger-Weasley was taking a long bath while Fred nipped to the shops and George continued to snooze his way through the morning. She was feeling really contented to have some time to think; to catch up with herself. Last night had given her time to tidy her sewing basket, potter about the flat and gather a few things into a box that she wanted to take down to the shop on Monday morning. For that was the day she had said she would start in her new role, and she was looking forward to it immensely.

She picked up her wand to notch the temperature of the water up a degree or two, and began to make a mental list. Her box was ready, she had clean robes that would tide her over until her work outfits arrived and she had leftover chicken and a few salads for her lunches for the next couple of days. Hermione was well aware that Fred and George would gladly buy and collect her lunch from Diagon Alley each day, but she didn't always feel great after eating the large sandwiches that they seemed to need to fuel their antics, and the wizarding pub that they preferred tended more towards pie and chips than salad. She preferred something a bit lighter, especially as she was going to be based more at her desk. Not that she was planning to lunch at her desk; she would come upstairs and eat in the flat. That would give her a break from the noise, which was more than she thought she could take all day.

Having established that she was all set for Monday morning, Hermione slid further under the water, entering another level of relaxation as she wet her long curly hair. They would all apparate to The Burrow once George was awake, she imagined, although as she slid back up again she wondered whether he had made a plan with Angie. Before she could even finish the thought, however, she heard George's voice outside the bathroom door.

"Yeah, she's coming with us. Can I come in? Desperate for the loo! I'll use the charm…"

"Alright, give me two secs," Hermione sat up, reaching for her wand to close the curtains around the enormous bath. "OK!" She and George had come to an agreement which allowed him to still use the loo or shower when she was taking one of her super-long scented baths. She would conjure curtains around the entire bath, giving herself privacy, and he would use a sensory-blocking charm which they developed together. It prevented her – and anyone else in the vicinity – from having any awareness of what he was doing. They could have a conversation and, as long as she didn't think about it too much, it was actually quite nice to chat with him from the bath in the same way she did with Fred. She had insisted that George check with Angie though, to make sure the older witch didn't have a problem with it, and Angie had laughed so loudly for so long that Hermione had almost been offended.

"I'm totally fine with it on one condition," she told Hermione. "When you've created that sensory deprivation charm, you make sure he uses it every time he uses the loo, not just when you're there!"

Hermione had laughed quite loudly in return and then become a bit more serious as she wondered whether she could turn the charm into a portable product for the store. Gods, she had realised; she was starting to think like them now!

"How do you think it's going?" George's voice pulled her out of her daydream. "At The Burrow, I mean?"

Hermione sighed and considered her answer. "Lauren's very open-minded and chatty. She'll not be as fazed by it as many people would. And her work means she'll cope with the cultural differences probably better than most. But it's still a huge thing to meet your in-laws, let alone under these circumstances and when you've only just found out about the magical world. So who knows?" George just gave a quiet hum, so she continued. "I just hope your mum is OK with her. I hope Lauren's situation triggers your mum's desire to be maternal towards her rather than protective towards Charlie…"

"Is that my wife you're in there with?"

"Yes it is," George smiled. "I'm just about to jump in the bath with her; you alright with that?"

The door opened and Hermione laughed at the ensuing conversation. Fred complained about George being sat on the loo and George began his retaliation by pointing out that he was using the sensory deprivation charm. Halfway through his defence, however, George went on the offensive about Fred's lack of decorum and modesty, so Hermione wasn't at all surprised when the bath curtain was moved slightly – at the other end from where George was sitting – and her naked husband came into view. Not bothering to hide her admiration of his body, Hermione sat up and wriggled forward so that Fred could slide in behind her, his long arms and legs wrapping around her own. She rested her head back against his shoulder as he slipped his body into the hot water with a long sensual groan.

"Bloody hell!" George laughed from the loo. "You make it sound so sexy and all you've done is get into the water!"

"Well hurry up and bugger off then!" Fred laughed. "Mum sent me off to get chocolate for Lauren first thing, so I didn't get to have a shower yet! And you do know what day it is, don't you?"

"Of course I do," George sounded indignant. "It's three weeks to the day since I promised to honour and obey my lovely wife-in-law." Hermione giggled as Fred slid his arm around her waist.

"Will you be OK with us slipping off and closing the bond for half an hour later, so I can show her how much we both love her?"

George snorted. "Only half an hour? You disappoint me, Fredster! But yes, I think I can allow that."

"Thanks, mate." Fred spoke softly. He knew George needed him, but he was less worried today given that his twin would have Angie with him and be surrounded by their family.

"Alright, lovebirds, I'm done on here." There was a dim sound of the toilet flushing. Hermione shook her head and made a mental note to re-evaluate that part of the charm. "But Angie'll be here soon so I'm jumping in the shower now. Come out at your own risk, 'Mione. And Freddie, don't you dare do anything to my wife-in-law that'll put water all over the floor!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Molly had made fairly short work of dispatching Charlie, Arthur and Elliot to do helpful things with food so that she could talk to Lauren. Having asked Charlie to grab her bag from the car and shut the door, Lauren had been fascinated – and also slightly disturbed – to see the strapping wizard give a small shout upon seeing a creature near the car door. He then lifted the creature above his head and swung it around a few times before flinging it high across the yard and into the next door field. He shut the car door and then went on his way as if nothing unusual had happened.

Lauren turned to Molly, her mouth open. She was shocked to see Charlie behaving this way. He had never shown anything but kindness to animals and, in fact, he often went way beyond what others would do to help a creature in need.

"It wasn't an animal, it was a garden gnome," Molly told her, realising exactly why Lauren looked so horrified. She had raised the animal lover, after all. "They're nasty little pests. It would have been all through your car and into any food that you had. He didn't hurt it; the swinging just makes it dizzy and stops it from coming back too soon."

Lauren lifted the fresh cup of tea to her mouth and took a sip. "It's like a whole different world, Mrs Weasley."

"Oh please," said Molly, putting her own mug down. "I don't mind what you'd like to call me; Molly or Mum if you like, as Hermione does, but not Mrs Weasley. I hope we'll become a lot closer than that, so let's start as we mean to go on. Unless," she smiled mischievously, remembering something Charlie had told her when they had finally sat and had a calm heart-to-heart about his situation, "you'd like me to call you Dr Bennett?"

Lauren laughed. "I'd love to have another mum, after the last few years of not having one, but it feels a bit unfair. What if Charlie and I don't end up together?"

Molly tipped her head to one side. "Sweetheart!" she admonished gently. "I promise you there's plenty of room in my heart and my family for the mother of my grandson to become my honorary daughter whatever happens between you and Charlie!"

"Mum," Lauren tried. "I really like that."

"Good," said Molly. "Now, tell me what's going on for you, and ask me anything you like..."

Over the next half hour, they covered accidental magic, the question of whether Elliot was a wizard or not, home schooling and several other topics. Molly quickly realised that Lauren was very bright and a very fast learner and she soon made connections between different pieces of information.

"You're not really in much doubt about him being a wizard, are you?" Lauren asked, as the two women watched Arthur helping Elliot to carry a packet of sausages to the barbeque area.

"It's never certain," said Molly, sighing quietly, "until one us sees him doing accidental magic. Which he's at the right sort of age to start doing. We'll tell everyone to watch out for it, as it can happen anytime. What usually happens is that they have a burst of emotion that they don't know how to deal with. Where non-magical children have tantrums where they scream and shout, magical children can instead use their magic to release their pent-up energy and emotion."

A look of wonder crossed Lauren's face. "Elliot," she said, looking over at her son, "rarely has tantrums. He easily gets over-excited and needs help to calm himself down, and he has moments when he gets cross or impatient because things don't go his way, but he's really even-tempered. Does that tell you anything?"

Molly gave a small laugh. "It tells me he's Charlie Weasley's son! Even though he has his moments," she thought back to the previous day, when Charlie strode off, "he was probably the most easy-going of all seven. He was the cuddliest, most even-tempered baby you could imagine," she smiled at the woman who her son had fallen for, not surprised that Charlie had chosen a colourful, chatty, clever woman to balance him out, "and he only got mad when he thought someone was hurting someone he loved. Or a creature." She rolled her eyes. "Merlin forbid he should see anyone hurting a creature."

Lauren smiled. "Yeah, that was one of the things that drew me to him. He was so kind to the lizards that were crossing the path!"

"That sounds about right. Charlie's first accidental magic, well the first that Arthur or I saw, was when he saw a garden gnome about to kick a rabbit. That's one reason he dislikes them so much. He had seen his dad throwing gnomes, though Arthur had made him and Bill promise not to go near them. They bite, by the way, so be careful." Lauren shuddered and made a mental note to stay away from the ugly little creatures as Molly continued. "If you see one, it's best to grab or call Arthur or one of the boys; they have longer arms, and it's safer for them. Ginny and Hermione don't like it, but I think this is one task that I'm happy to divide along gender lines." Molly laughed, pleased with the new jargon that she had picked up from Hermione, and then she leaned in closer. "Also, according to Luna and Hermione, who didn't know I overheard them, there are worse ways to spend a Sunday afternoon than watching a load of shirtless Weasley men de-gnoming the garden."

Both women laughed, and Lauren felt herself slip into another level of relaxation. It was clear to her that she and Molly had grown up in very different environments but, she thought, if they could find common ground in their love of family, that would be a great basis for a relationship.

Molly was still chattering, delighted to have met someone who was so keen to hear her stories. "We made Charlie a separate carrot garden for rabbits when he was a toddler. We wanted them out of our vegetable patch, of course, so we magically fenced that off, but Charlie loved them so much that we made them a patch of their own which he loved to sit in. Well, Charlie saw a gnome approaching a baby bunny one day. He realised what it was about to do and the next thing we knew the gnome was flying through the air in the opposite direction, squealing. He had somehow managed to use his magic to move it without touching it, because the first thing he said when we went running over was that he didn't break daddy's rule."

Lauren laughed again. "I don't suppose I should be surprised." She was aware, although she didn't mention it to Molly, that a soft feeling arose in her tummy when she heard Charlie's mum speak of him as a child. Had she had the time to analyse it, Lauren might have wondered at her developing emotions. But so much was happening that she only really had the time to register that she harboured a growing desire to spend more time alone with Charlie. Whether that was her hormones or something more, she didn't know. But she didn't need to express any of this for Molly, ever the experienced mother, to read the look on her face and to feel more reassured that her son might get his happy ending.

Molly smiled at Lauren. "But to answer your original question, I'd be amazed if Elliot wasn't a wizard." Molly sipped her tea, allowing Lauren time to take that in. "Our family have magic on both sides." Then she sighed. "I don't like to use the term, but you'll hear it at some point so it might as well be me that explains it. We Weasleys are said to be pureblood wizards. Elliot, if he is magical, will be a half-blood, as he has one magical parent and one non-magical parent. Harry. Penelope and Angelina are half-bloods; you'll meet them later. And then some witches and wizards, like Hermione, are known as muggle-borns. Neither of her parents have magic that they can use, although there's clearly something in their lineage for them to have passed it on to her."

"Like in their DNA?" Lauren asked.

"I don't know what that is, sweetheart, though Hermione mentioned it once when she was telling the twins off. She was about fifteen and I already suspected she liked Fred and she said to George – not that she knew I could hear, mind – 'just because you share DNA with him doesn't give you the right to torment me the way he does'." Molly looked wistful, remembering the moment when she first saw something between the pair who had now begun to make a life together. "I was never quite sure what she meant by that, and don't think George was either, but we both realised there was something there. I wasn't at all surprised when the two of them got together last month."

"Last month?" Lauren looked at Molly in amazement. She knew Hermione and Fred hadn't been long married, but surely they had dated for a while before making that huge commitment to each other?

Molly nodded. "Long story. And just the latest chapter in an even longer one. You'll no doubt get bits from everyone else, but I think perhaps someone should make sure you have the whole story. Other than Charlie. You and he deserve to be able to focus on yourselves and Elliot, and the everyday things. Maybe you'd like to start coming round for a few hours here and there whenever you have the time, and I'll tell you all about it over tea and cake?"

"That would be great," Lauren sighed, looking over at her son and his father and grandfather again. "It looks increasingly like I might have to learn how to live in your world instead of mine, and sooner rather than later. I'll gladly take all the help I'm offered."


	46. Women's lives

Hermione, Fred, George and Angelina apparated into The Burrow's garden next, and Lauren noticed that Elliot immediately pulled away from Charlie to go and greet the twins.

"Fred! NoFred!" he shouted gleefully, pelting towards them at full speed.

The two men knelt down side by side with their arms out, and Elliot ran into them, his own arms wide.

"Hello mate," they said, pretty much in unison, and Elliot took one of their hands in each of his.

"I have a Nanna and Gandad," he told them proudly, pointing out Molly and Arthur.

"That's brilliant," George said, sharing a small smile with Fred when they heard Elliot's mispronunciation. Elliot nodded in agreement. "Would you like an auntie?" George asked, as Hermione crouched down so that she could give the little boy a kiss on his cheek, which made him giggle.

"Mummy says Miney's an auntie. AuntieMiney." He spoke proudly, running the words together into one and liking the way they sounded.

"Hello Elliot, I'll chat to you in a bit," said Hermione, stroking his hair before she stood back up and began to walk towards Lauren and Molly.

"Well you can have a few aunties, you know, and we've brought you another one. This is Auntie Angie," Fred said, bringing Angelina into the conversation.

Angelina knelt on the grass in front of Elliot and held out her hand to shake Elliot's. He giggled again and then moved her fingers with his own so he could give her a 'high five' as he had seen Fred and George do to each other. Angelina laughed, and Elliot was pleased.

"I'm going to let you chat to George and Auntie Angie," Fred told his nephew, ruffling his red hair. "I need to give something to your mum."

While Elliot turned to George, remembering that he wanted to ask whether he had a wand, Fred sprinted to catch up with Hermione, who had already reached Lauren and Molly at the picnic table. "We thought we'd get here in good time," she was telling them as she hugged Molly in greeting before turning to Lauren. "Thought it might be helpful to have a few more faces that you know."

"Indeed," Fred had slipped a bag of chocolate truffles into Lauren's hand while Molly was cuddling Hermione. "Pressie for you," he said, in a quieter voice than normal. "These will help to offset the effects of magic. Any kind of chocolate will work," he explained. "Don't share them around with us greedy buggers; keep them with you and have one anytime it gets a bit much." She squeezed his hand with a whisper of thanks. "I made sure they'll keep cool," he continued, "so don't worry about them melting in the heat or anything. And," he showed her a small brown bottle in the palm of his other hand, "mum asked me to bring this as well. Hermione said to tell you it's like magical rescue remedy, if you know what that is?"

Lauren nodded. "I do."

Fred leaned forward and stood it on the table in front of her. Lauren looked at it and then slipped it into the pocket of her dress. "Well it's there if you need it, love," he continued. "Few drops under your tongue, as often as you want. And if there's anything that any of us can do, just say."

"You are very kind, Fred."

He grinned. "That's the second time you've said that this week, and you promised to tell my mum, remember?"

"I do!" she said, laughing, and immediately turned towards Molly to do just that. Fred stared, slightly amazed that he had met a woman who was as extraverted, direct, straightforward and outspoken as he was, and grinned as Lauren told Molly how wonderful Fred had been at helping her to adjust to the wizarding world during the previous couple of days.

Molly laughed, rolling her eyes at Lauren's words. "OK," she said to her son, who was grinning madly as he watched Hermione climb over the bench to sit on the other side of Lauren. "Extra cake for Fred!"

Fred waved his arms around a bit in glee, using his wand as a pretend beater's bat in a watered-down version of the happy dance that he and George used to do from their broomsticks when Gryffindor scored, before looking around to see where Ange and George were so that he could join them.

"Did he bring you plenty of chocolate?" Molly asked Lauren, who nodded.

"Yes, though he said I shouldn't share it," she laughed. "Not that I'll be tempted to share it with Charlie and Elliot," she laughed, looking in the direction of her son, who was up again and running around the garden playing some kind of chasing game with George. Fred immediately saluted the three women, saying that he would be back for his cake soon, and headed over to join in. "They're both already horribly full of sugar," Lauren confided to Molly. "It's not like I didn't know it was a bad idea. I just feel like I need to give Charlie some space to figure out what kind of dad he wants to be."

Molly nodded. "You'd think he'd remember, with all those younger siblings, and he was a prefect too! But he'll get there, love, don't worry."

Lauren smiled as she saw Angelina walking towards them. "Hello, you must be Lauren? I'm Angelina!"

"It's so lovely to meet you," Lauren said, shaking Angelina's hand. "From memory, you're George's partner?"

"Is that what he called me?" Angelina looked a bit surprised, and Lauren reached out her hand.

"Oh no, sorry, that's my term rather than his. Have I put my foot in it? I'm not used to the ins and outs of your culture yet; I don't mean any harm…"

"Gods, no," said Angelina, raising her eyebrows with a big grin and patting Lauren in reassurance. "I was just curious as to how he describes me. I'm not sure where we're headed at the moment, but it's not a bad thing! Please call me Ange or Angie by the way; everyone else does. Oh, yes please, Molly," she said as she was offered a cup of tea.

"Come and sit with me," Molly said to Angelina, patting her side of the bench. "This might be our only chance to catch up together and get to know Lauren a bit before things get out of hand." She looked carefully at Angelina before asking, "Are things OK with you and George, love?"

Angelina looked at Hermione and then Molly. Part of her really wanted to confide her concerns to her friend and George's mum, but she was worried that George might not be pleased if she shared too much and caused Molly to fuss more. Angelina was aware, of course, that George had slept with Fred and Hermione the previous night, and she wished that she could have been there for him instead. But her training schedule was relentless and she would have been too exhausted to apparate home even if the quidditch players weren't made to stay together for the sake of building team spirit.

"I'm worried that I'm not always there enough for him, but I think he's dealing with things in his own way," she told Molly slowly. "We're all adjusting, and things have happened quickly."

Hermione caught the look in her eyes and took over. "It's a lot of change in a short time, for all of us, and the bond that Fred and I share has effects on George as well, but the four of us are talking openly and we'll let you know if there's anything you can do, Mum, I promise."

That seemed to satisfy Molly for now and Angelina cast Hermione a grateful look, which the younger witch acknowledged with the tiniest of nods. Both of the women were aware that Fred and George often preferred to handle issues themselves rather than having Molly involved, and there was a fine line to be tread between having an open and trusting relationship with Molly and ending up with her being more involved in the men's lives than they might want her to be.

By the time everybody had a fresh cup of tea and Hermione and Angelina had been given cake (making Hermione doubly grateful that she had had a tiny breakfast), the four women were chatting as if they had known each other forever. At Hermione's suggestion, she, Angelina and Molly each gave Lauren a five-minute summary of their life story, which turned out to be a great way of breaking the ice and learning lots about each other in a short time. Lauren had very much liked the sound of Angelina's dad – with or without fabulous seafront fish restaurant – and was keen to meet him.

"We'll take you and Charlie sometime," Angelina promised. "Maybe on a weekend…"

Lauren enjoyed learning more about Hermione's story too, though she already knew some of it from the time they had spent together at Lauren's cottage during the week. Hermione tried to focus instead on the things that Lauren didn't already know; she shared a bit more of her love story with Fred, and then began to tell Lauren about how she had shared a room with Charlie the night before her wedding. She was in the middle of telling Lauren what a wonderful elder brother Charlie had been after her pre-wedding nightmare when Molly interrupted.

"Why on earth were you sleeping in with Charlie?" Molly asked.

Hermione's expression froze, having completely forgotten that she had ended up in Bill's bed because she had heard Ginny and Harry having sex in Ginny's room and had found herself a refugee in need of a new place to spend the night before her wedding.

"Do you know," Hermione said slowly, "the whole thing was such a blur that I honestly can't remember…"

"Can't, or won't?" Molly's lips were pursed, but Angelina realised that there was a smile behind them. She hoped.

"Erm…" Hermione was lost for words, and Molly took pity on her, touching her arm.

"I need to turn over a new leaf," she said. "I can't promise I'll be able to do it in one go, but I desperately want to have a good relationship with all my daughters … by blood, marriage or adoption. If I want you all to feel you can talk to me, about anything – and I do want that, very much – then I need to let go of some of the values that I was raised with. That's part of what everyone fought for, yes?" Angelina and Hermione nodded.

"Can't say I'm over the moon about all these modern sleeping arrangements," Molly confided, to nobody in particular. "But Ginny and Harry are a good match and at least Ginny isn't playing around with a wizard who'll hurt her. And by the way, darling," Molly touched Angelina's arm, "I want you to know that, if you want to stay here with George anytime, in his bed, you're very welcome and I promise I won't give you nearly as much grief as I gave poor Hermione and Fleur in their time." She looked a bit embarrassed and Hermione made a point of catching her eye and smiling. Wanting to let Molly know that they were OK.

"Thank you." Angelina was so grateful for that. If she and George could stay here together, that might help things a bit, especially on holidays.

"Although," Molly added. "Be it on your own head, as I still won't clean under the beds in their room. Too many surprises, and I'm sure they add new ones each time they visit!"

Angelina and Hermione both laughed at that, knowing how true it was.

"Alright, Lauren, that's really enough about me … would you tell us a bit about your life now?"

Lauren looked into Molly's eyes, and then at Hermione and Angelina. It was clear that all three women – or, she corrected herself with a smile, witches – were genuinely caring and wanting to help her in any way they could. Hermione delved into her bag and brought out her cross stitch project, knowing that this would take everyone's eyes away from Lauren.

"OK, well I was born in a village not that unlike this one and I had an idyllic childhood, with lots of animals and trees and space and walks in the country. I have one younger sister and my parents were both lecturers too," she began. "Like I am now." Then she looked up to check Molly and Angelina's understanding. "And just to clarify, that's a teacher who teaches adults. You have to have a very deep understanding of your subject. My mum taught law and my dad taught sociology, and they used to have some very interesting debates!" She smiled at the memory. "They were always a bit different from everyone else's parents. Hippies, we would call them. They thought a bit differently; challenged things in their culture, if that makes sense? Didn't just accept things as they were. They taught my sister and I to do the same; to really think things through and not just accept that what everyone else thought was the right way. That's probably why I ended up doing what I do."

"They sound wonderful," Molly said quietly, and Lauren nodded.

"They were," said Lauren. "I still miss them."

"How long has it been?" Hermione asked. "If it's OK to ask?"

"It's OK," Lauren replied. "Though it would be fab if you could all tell everyone else so I don't have to keep doing this!"

Angelina reached out for Lauren's hand. "We don't have to do this now if you don't want to."

Lauren turned her own hand to hold Angelina's fingers with her own. "Strangely, I do," she said. "It's a really huge part of my story. My whole universe has been tipped upside down over the last few days, and I'm realising that part of the decision that I need to make now that I've met Charlie again has to do with what happened to my mum and dad."

"How do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"I'll have to tell you the story for it to make sense." Lauren adjusted her position, putting one foot underneath her other leg on the bench. "I was twenty-two when it happened. I was at university, I had almost finished my first degree, and I was having a lovely time. They were on holiday, in a hire car, and a drunk driver crashed into them. They wouldn't have known anything about it, which is a huge source of comfort to me." She looked up. Her eyes were full of tears, but she indicated that she was OK and wanted to continue. "My sister and I coped in different ways. As soon as we had sorted their affairs, she left uni and began to travel, though she only ran for a year or so and then she met a lovely man and settled down with him, abroad. She never finished her studies, but that was always more my thing than hers anyway."

Lauren paused to sip her tea.

"I threw myself into studying. Didn't have to worry about money, because they had life insurance and a house and all sorts, so I had the freedom to do what I wanted." She looked around, to see that all three of the women were transfixed by her story. "Got my PhD in record time, and then I became a lecturer myself." She looked up again, directly at Molly. "Some of this is going to get a bit juicy…" she said, and Molly nodded.

"I've already told you I had a fairly conservative upbringing and I've been more judgemental than I should have been in my time, but I've seen a few things these past years ... and it's me that needs to adapt, so don't you worry about offending me. I'm working on rediscovering my nineteen year old self," Molly winked. Hermione looked at Molly and smiled at her words, remembering the photo of the younger woman that was in the house.

"I think," Lauren continued, taking that as permission to continue without censoring herself, "that losing my parents made me afraid of commitment. I loved them so, so much, and the grief was hard to bear. The shock of it. And two things were going on for me..."

Hermione smiled to herself. She loved Lauren's ability to analyse feelings and situations and break them down in a way that was almost mathematical. She made a note to tell Lauren one day how just being around her was helping Hermione to process her own feelings about everything that had happened to her during the wizarding war. Angelina's mind was also whirring; she was wondering whether talking to Lauren might help George, but she tried to stop that train of thought so she could listen properly to her new friend's story.

"One was that I realised that kissing and flirting and sex would numb the pain of the grief a bit. And, hey, I was a feminist social science scholar, so I was reading all this stuff about how women need to reclaim their sexuality and so on. I learned, and I practised, and I taught every man I met some of the things that I wanted all men to know and to take forward into the world."

Again, Hermione smiled to her cross stitch. She herself had been the recipient of Lauren's teaching and advice, and she knew her relationship with Fred was better for it. This time though, she felt Lauren's fingers on her arm, and the older woman smiled at her. Hermione realised that Lauren already knew that, presumably from Charlie, and she laughed softly.

"It's best I don't ask this time, isn't it?" asked Molly.

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing myself," said Angelina, faking a shudder of horror, and the two women clinked their tea mugs in a silent toast which made all four of them laugh.

"This is what I love about having real, proper friendships with women," Lauren said. "You can laugh and cry in the same conversation and it's just, well, real. If this is your family, then I should get over my commitment phobia and jump straight in with both feet."

"Commitment phobia?" Molly asked, not having heard that term before.

Lauren looked at Molly, nodding her head. "That's the second thing that was going on for me, after I lost my parents. I was spending lots of time with men, but I was terrified of the idea of falling in love, of making a commitment. I don't think I realised that at the time, though. I saw it as me getting liberated, reclaiming a woman's right to sow some wild oats. And don't get me wrong, I did have a lovely time! I don't regret any of it. I learned about myself and I think the fact that it helped me to ignore my grief a bit somehow meant that some of the grief could kind of heal itself or get processed when I wasn't looking." She looked around at the other three women. "Does ANY of this make sense? I'm saying a lot but I'm not sure if I'm doing a good job of explaining it."

"You're doing a brilliant job," Angelina said. "It's lovely to get to know you, and it's actually helping me no end. We've all been through some shit recently, and lost people, like we told you. It helps to hear other people's stories…"

Lauren murmured in understanding. "Well, then," she said, "I decided I needed a nice long break to catch up on some reading and sleep and so I went to Romania for a summer. To a spa in the mountains. I had no thought that I'd meet anyone there; it was quiet and most of the guests were a lot older than I was." She shook her head. "But then one day, in walked a man looking for a beer. He was gorgeous, I was attracted. He smiled, and I invited him to join me. I thought it would be just a pleasant chat or, at most, another quick fling."

"My Charlie?" Molly asked, and Lauren nodded again.

"Your Charlie." Lauren gave her a lopsided smile. "The man who finally stopped me in my tracks and made me question everything… If I may say, I have a lot of admiration for the values you've passed on to Charlie and Fred and George. And probably everyone else you've raised, though I've not met them yet. I understand what you're saying about moving with the times and changing values, but if I can raise Elliot to be the kind of man you've raised Charlie to be, well then I'll consider I've done a good job."

Molly was a bit overwhelmed by that, and Hermione only exacerbated that with her agreement. "Fred too," she said. "Under all the cheek, he's so considerate of my feelings. He still needs a bit of touching up, here and there," she smiled, thinking of the way that George had pulled him off her and lectured him about appropriate behaviour towards witches with period pain, "but thank you, Molly. Thank you for raising my husband to be an amazing man."

"And mine," said Angelina, putting her arm around Molly. "Well not that he's my husband, but you know what I mean!"

"Get away with you all!" said Molly, who was delighted and rather overwhelmed to be hearing this, but had no idea how to deal with the compliment. Her face told the story though, and Angelina took pity on her and took charge of the teapot as a distraction from Molly's flushed state.

"We'll give Molly more love later, but I for one am desperate to hear the next bit of Lauren's story … we were just getting to the good bit! You and Charlie … gorgeous man looking for a beer, so what happened?"

Lauren had been smiling at Molly along with the others but, upon hearing Angelina's question, her face became a bit more serious again. She took a deep breath in and blew it out. Molly, Hermione and Angelina all held their own breath while she paused. They didn't want to break this spell and interrupt what Lauren might want to say next. Hermione could see how she would be an amazing lecturer; she was such a great storyteller.

"I've told Hermione some of this already. We had a few drinks and I invited him back to my room. I assumed he would disappear in the night but he didn't. In the morning, he got up, made me tea and then asked if he could join me for breakfast. And then, other than when he needed to work, he just sort of stayed around. Always friendly and thoughtful and kind. He and I spent an amazing few weeks together in Romania and, when I got back to England to start work again, my emotions were all over the place. A few weeks later, when I realised I was pregnant with his baby, I put my feelings for him down to hormones. And I couldn't find him, so what could I do?"

Lauren shrugged. "When he didn't come looking for me," she paused and swallowed, looking across the garden at Charlie, as if she still couldn't quite believe she had found him again, "well I put all my energy into growing and feeding and loving our baby instead." A slow smile crossed her face as she drank more tea. "Of course, being pregnant and having a baby stopped my, well, extra-curricular activities."

Molly looked at Hermione, not understanding the term. Hermione mouthed the word 'sex' and Molly responded with wide open eyes and then a broad smile. She could see that she was going to need to learn quite a lot in her adjustment to having adult daughters-in-law, and quickly. But she was absolutely loving having this chat with three of them, and hoped that they would be able to do this more.

"Just to save anyone wondering and … well, I've not even kissed another man since I met Charlie. Just didn't want to." She looked over at her son, who was still playing with Fred and George, while Charlie chatted to Arthur. "Being pregnant and having Elliot gave me time to grieve my parents properly. Adjust … think about everything. I began to see how I'd put a barrier up to protect myself. How I didn't want to take the risk of falling in love because I knew that meant the risk of losing someone else, and that hurt so much."

As a tear dropped onto the table in front of Lauren, Hermione reached out and rubbed her back.

"I'm more OK now though," she reassured Hermione. "I know I might not look it, but tears are just a way of releasing energy you no longer want to hold onto. They're a way to let stress hormones out. I cry a lot these days, and I don't worry about it."

Hermione let out a choking laugh. "Gods," she said, "since the day before Fred and I got married, I cry all the time. It's like I've gone from being this strong, bossy witch to being someone who cries a lot."

Lauren looked confused. "It's not an either/or thing, lovely. You can be both at the same time, you know. You can feel overwhelmed and still be strong. You can need to cry several times a day and still maintain your core beliefs and everything else that makes you be you…"

"I need to tell Georgie some of this," Angelina whispered, almost to herself.

"Oh, Angie," Molly's face fell again. "I really meant it; do let me know how I can help, won't you?"

Angelina nodded. "I will. I'm still trying to work that out myself, Molly."

"See," Hermione turned to Lauren again. "We're all a bit fuc-, I mean messed up too." Molly laughed out loud when she heard Hermione's quick change of vocabulary. She was surprised to find that she was secretly a bit happy to hear the evidence of her middle son's effect on his wife; it indicated, to her at least, that they were growing towards each other and that Fred was helping Hermione to loosen up and perhaps feel a bit less responsible for others.

Lauren smiled. "Well, it's nice that we can all be fucked up together." She looked at Molly, not exactly defiantly, but she felt it was important not to pretend to be someone other than who she was. She needed Charlie's mum to understand that she was a straight-talking woman who said what she thought and who had no time for game-playing. Molly laughed, and Lauren's face broke into a relieved grin.

Hermione had picked up on something important though, and now was as good a time to ask as any. "When you say about not wanting to fall in love, though … do you mean that's what you had been doing, or is that still going on for you, like with Charlie?"

"Well," said Lauren slowly. "That's the million-pound question, isn't it?" She sighed. "I absolutely want Charlie in Elliot's life, as his dad, of course. And I can't deny that I'm still very attracted to him. But can I make the leap to something else with him and cope with being in a different world?"

Lauren took another deep breath and all three of the other women leaned in, eager to hear what she was going to say next. They all knew how much Charlie loved her, and they all desperately wanted her to create a family with their much-loved son and brother-in-law.

Lauren smiled to see their faces and shook her head a bit, composing herself and planning her next words carefully. She opened her mouth but, before she could say any more, they heard tiny footsteps pounding towards them and a gleeful shout from Elliot, who was waving a twig in the air.

"Whoooosh, mummy, whooooosh!"

As Lauren turned and opened her arms for Elliot to run into, Molly was about to ask Elliot what he was trying to tell them when she noticed Bill and Fleur apparating just beyond the wards. They began to wave from across the garden. Molly immediately levitated everything back onto the tea tray, planning to head back to the house for fresh supplies. Charlie, who had been watching Elliot from the other side of the garden, wanting to ensure that he made it safely to Lauren, turned and went to greet them.

"That's strange," said Angelina.

"What do you mean?" asked Lauren. Almost everything seemed strange to her; it was quite nice to know that she wasn't the only one.

"Well, I could have sworn that Elliot was already running and shouting before they actually appeared … or maybe that was my imagination."

"No, it's not you," Lauren replied, stroking her fingers through Elliot's hair as he knelt on her lap and played with the beads around her neck. "He does the same thing at home, don't you, lovely? He says whoosh before people arrive. It seems like he knows a couple of seconds before they actually appear. I keep meaning to ask Hermione about it, but there's been so much else going on…"

"Whoooosh," said Elliot, waving his twig again as if to confirm his mother's words.

Molly was frowning and she stopped in her tracks, the tea tray suspended in front of her. "I've never heard of that being possible before."

"Oh," said Lauren, a bit disappointed. "And I was hoping you'd be able to explain it and tell me what it meant!"

"Could it be some kind of divination?" Angelina asked. Hermione wrinkled her nose. She had never believed that divination was worth studying, although in recent months she had been a bit more prepared to take more on trust than she had before. Especially now she had the experience of the bond she shared with Fred and George. She wouldn't necessarily have believed that such a close connection was possible before she had experienced that herself, either.

Angelina rolled her eyes and started to laugh. "Trelawney's going to love him. She's the divination professor at the school we all went to," she explained to Lauren. "And yes, I do mean divination as in predicting the future. He's going to be her star pupil!"

"Oh, Gods," said Hermione, joining in the laughter. Then, realising that the newcomers were headed their way, closely followed by Charlie, she touched Lauren's arm to get her attention. "That's Bill and Fleur, by the way. We're all trying to stagger our arrival so you don't have to deal with too many people at once!" Lauren nodded, grateful for that. "I won't forget we need to come back to the apparition conversation, though," Hermione continued. "It might be important."


	47. Parenting with magic

Elliot was mesmerised. The woman walking towards him was beautiful, and he scrambled down from the bench so he could run towards her. She was with a tall redheaded man, but Elliot wasn't interested in him. He just wanted to be close to the woman and, as he neared her, he reached his arms out towards her, desperately hoping she would notice him.

She did.

When she was close enough, she responded by reaching down and catching him in her arms before picking him up, looking across at his mother and smiling to let her know that she had only good intentions. Elliot touched the woman's face with his fingers; he was enraptured by her beautiful smile.

Back at the picnic table, his grandmother laughed softly while Angelina quietly explained the situation to Lauren.

"Fleur has a bit of veela blood in her, and veelas are magical women who are VERY attractive to men. Clearly even tiny men."

"Like sirens?" Lauren asked. She looked a bit worried

Angelina looked at Hermione. "I'm not sure?"

"No, no," Hermione replied, shaking her head to emphasise her point and reassure Lauren. "Pure veela do have a darker side, but Fleur only has a bit of veela blood, and she would never hurt Elliot or anyone else. It's purely an attraction thing, and most of our men have become immune to her charm now…"

"Except when she makes crepes, and then I fear I may lose George to her, but that's nothing to do with her being part veela," Angelina joked, pulling a face.

Hermione laughed. "Fred, in particular, he's not at all affected now we're bonded."

"Hello!" Fleur managed to hold onto Elliot, her hand behind his head while leaning down to kiss Lauren on both cheeks. "I am Fleur, and you must be Lauren."

"Indeed I am," Lauren smiled. "And I see you've already met my son!"

When Fleur turned so that Elliot faced his mum, Lauren saw that his pupils were dilated and he had a peaceful smile on his face. She couldn't help but chuckle as she spoke to her son. "I thought it might take you longer to fall in love for the first time, but this is good too," she teased him, before turning to the man who stood beside them. "As long as it's OK with your uncle…"

"Bill," he grinned, holding out his hand to shake Lauren's before leaning down and kissing her cheek. She gave him a big smile.

"I thought so. Lovely to meet you," she said, "and thank you for helping Charlie yesterday."

Bill shrugged. "Yesterday, the past two and a half decades, it all rolls into one!" He clapped Charlie on the back as his brother arrived with Arthur, the two wizards clearly content with the current state of their barbeque preparation and ready to join the conversation. "And now you've made a mini Charlie for me to help look after as well!" He reached for Elliot's hand and the little boy took it, but without really paying attention.

They all laughed, and Fleur adjusted Elliot on her hip. He was heavier than she had anticipated, and he had run at her so quickly that she didn't have a good enough grip on him to stand for long without shifting his position. Bill and Arthur saw her dilemma simultaneously. Bill took the opportunity to say a proper hello to Elliot and tell the little wizard his name, while helping Fleur to shift his weight. In the meantime, Arthur lifted his wand, moving a wooden bench behind Fleur so she could sit down.

"Thank you, Arthur," Fleur said, as she made herself and Elliot comfortable. Molly fussed with additional teapots and mugs and cake, and they exchanged news of their day as they settled into a conversation. Elliot was certainly content to sit with Fleur and bask in her aura, his cheek on her shoulder. Bill's attempts to engage his nephew in conversation were mostly in vain and he and Charlie exchanged a quick glance, both wondering how long this effect would last.

"Will he come back to us at any point?" Lauren asked, half joking and just slightly concerned about how enthralled her son was with his newly arrived auntie.

Angelina and Hermione looked at each other.

"We know how to break it," Angelina said, well versed in the effects of veela on men from the year of the Triwizard Tournament, and she signalled Hermione to use her bond connection with the twins to get their attention. Fred and George, who had been chatting intently under a tree and catching up on their 'twin time', came bouncing over to the picnic tables, bowing to their respective women before taking turns to slap Bill on the back and kiss Fleur on the cheeks.

"Your nephew needs some male energy to help remind him that there is more to life than falling in love with Auntie Fleur," Angelina said, and the two men laughed.

"Right, mate," George said, plucking Elliot out of Fleur's arms and gleefully throwing him a few inches up in the air before catching him again and swooping him down between his legs, causing Elliot to shout in excitement.

"That'll do it," said Fred. "Come on!" and the three of them gambolled away across the lawn, Elliot under George's arm and Fleur all but forgotten. Charlie watched the twins, a bit wistfully. He could have done that if he had realised it would help.

"They had some practice in breaking that spell at school when Fleur and a load of her classmates visited one year," Hermione explained.

"I will try and remember to tone it down," Fleur said to Lauren with a glance at Charlie as well. "And then he can meet Bill properly too," she looked at her husband a bit apologetically, but he reassured her with a shake of his head and a hand on her shoulder.

"Not on my account," Lauren replied. "It's wonderful how he went to you like that; I say leave it on, whatever is it!"

"I tell you what, though," Molly said, looking at no-one in particular.

"What's that, love?" Arthur replied.

Molly looked at Fleur. "If you have that effect on all the male Weasley grandchildren, you're going to be in high demand as a calming and sleep aid!"

Fleur laughed. "It is nice to know that I may have a useful role, in such a big family!"

Bill leaned towards her with a teasing look on his face. "I wonder if that means any boys we have will be calm?"

"Alas," Fleur told him, "I probably won't have that effect on our own children. We can only hope that Lauren or Hermione or Angelina have superpowers that work on ours!"

"Or just borrow Fred and George to exhaust them," Hermione added, nodding her head towards the chasing game that the three were now playing on the lawn. Charlie looked over as well, not entirely sure how he felt in that moment. He couldn't help but feel a little tender about the fact that it was Fred and George who had been called in to help, not to mention how much Elliot loved to run around with the twins whenever they appeared.

"Yeah, that'll work too," Angelina was saying, and the conversations multiplied a bit after that, with Angelina asking Hermione about her plans to start work in the shop the next day and Lauren taking the chance to chat more with Fleur. Bill nudged Charlie. "Walk a bit with me," he said, and Charlie stood. "I need to stretch my legs."

"Want to talk about it?" Bill asked, once they had walked far enough that they couldn't be heard from the table. He didn't meet his younger brother's eyes. Sometimes it was easier that way.

Charlie shook his head. "Nothing to talk about."

"Oh, OK," Bill bent and picked up a rock from the lawn, throwing it into the trees so that no-one would fall over it. "So you're not feeling at all sore about how much Elliot loves playing with the gruesome twosome?" He indicated Fred and George, who continued playing their game of tag around the garden with the little boy who was squealing their names – or at least his version of their names, with Fred still trying to teach him to say 'George' at every opportunity – in glee.

Charlie shrugged. "Got no right to be. Fred met him first. Couldn't be helped. And Angelina was only trying to help…"

"Bollocks." Bill's voice was quiet and deep, and the strength of it made Charlie turn to look at him. When their eyes met, they didn't need words to communicate any more than Fred and George. Bill knew that Charlie was feeling uncertain, for more than one reason, and they both knew that Bill was going to try and make him feel better about it.

"Are you going to give me some of your curse breaking negotiation wisdom then?" Charlie sounded more terse than he felt.

"Nope."

"Oh." Charlie stopped walking and leaned back against the garden wall. He didn't mean to be surly with Bill, especially after yesterday, but he was still figuring out how he was going to best fit into Elliot's life. Especially when Elliot was so excited to meet the rest of his family, which he was, of course, also very pleased about. But Charlie wanted his own space with his son too, and he was trying hard not to feel jealous of how easy it was for Fred and George and everyone else to relate to Elliot when Charlie felt more reticent. Partly because he kept cocking up by using magic at inappropriate times. And that was doubly difficult because he wanted so badly for Lauren to accept him not just as Elliot's dad, but as her man as well.

"I will try and talk some sense into you though. Clearly someone needs to."

Charlie shook his head. "I told you, I don't blame them. I'm really grateful that Fred and 'Mione took Elliot on Friday night so that Lauren and I could have time together. I just have to live with the consequences of that."

"Bollocks do you, Charlie."

"Well I can't run in and grab him off them, can I? And he's happy, you know?"

"Indeed. Just like you and I used to be when Fabian and Gideon came over." He paused for a moment, letting that sink in. "Do you remember them? Our own twin uncles?"

"Of course I do."

"I often wish they had known them better." Bill inclined his head towards Fred and George. "They're so similar to how I remember Fabian and Gideon."

"Yeah." Charlie agreed. "They'd have been fucking hideous together though, as a foursome of grown-up pranksters … can you imagine?!" They both laughed, and then Charlie continued. "That's the thing, Bill. I want him to have that with them. With you, Fleur, all of you. I just need to figure out where I fit in. And not be jealous when he doesn't want me all the time."

"Well that's the easy bit."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Bill sounded more confident than ever. "Once you're done with today, now you've got your time off sorted, you and Lauren can hide away for a bit; work things out. Thanks for the note, by the way. Elena's safe at ours til you need her. More importantly, who taught you to pee standing up?"

Charlie looked at him, a bit surprised by the sudden swerve in conversational direction and uncertain of where this was going.

"I'm serious," Bill said. "Do you remember? Mum always sat us on the loo seat, so how did you graduate to standing?"

"Dad," Charlie said, smiling as he remembered.

"Exactly. And how long did it take?"

Charlie laughed. "Fucking ages."

Bill grinned. "Yeah, it did. I thought there might be something wrong with you. Do you remember the ping pong ball?"

"Oh Gods, yes," said Charlie, tipping his head back with a soft laugh, although he had in fact forgotten until that moment how Arthur had brought a muggle plastic ball home from work, drawn a funny face on it with a quill and put it into the toilet bowl to help improve Charlie's aim. It had worked, and it remained a fixture in The Burrow's upstairs toilet for years, although it had taken Charlie longer than any of his brothers to be able to hit it every time.

There was a pause while Charlie pondered. It wasn't that his uncles would have refused to do that if he had needed it. But it wouldn't have occurred to them; it wasn't part of their role. They were the flying teachers, the purveyors and providers of quality pranks, the bringers of joy with less responsibility. Like Fred and George would be for Elliot. His dad, well that was something else entirely. Arthur Weasley had provided continuity and guidance; he was a solid, everyday presence who could be relied upon for almost anything. Charlie could be that person for Elliot, he realised. "You're right. Thanks Bill," he said quietly. "I needed that."

Bill bumped his brother's shoulder. "Well let's just hope Elliot's quicker at learning that than you were," he winked. "Hello..." he said, nudging Charlie's shoulder. "Here's the man himself…"

Charlie turned to see Arthur approaching.

"Your mum sent me. Think she thinks you might need some fatherly input," Arthur said as he reached them. "But as much as I obey everything she says at the moment, I don't know how much help I'll be."

"I'm alright, Dad. Thanks. Adjusting, I guess…" He pulled Arthur into a hug, slightly surprising the older man, who put his arms around his son and encouraged Charlie to lean on him. "Thanks for being a great dad. We're talking about the difference between dads and uncles."

Arthur nodded, watching Elliot playing with Fred and George. He could easily see how that conversation topic might have come about. Arthur, like Percy, observed first and spoke later. He patted Charlie's shoulders before the two men parted and leaned against the wall, side by side.

Arthur spoke slowly. "He needs you the most, Charlie; you're his dad. And that comes with more responsibility than being an uncle. You need to be a consistent, solid presence for him. Which doesn't mean you can't play, of course, but you need to draw the lines for him." He nodded towards the twins. "They'll have to learn that when they have kids and then you'll get to play uncle." Arthur turned to see that both Bill and Charlie were drinking in this wisdom as if it was vintage firewhisky. "Kids actually like boundaries, believe it or not. It makes them feel safe. Well," he looked again at Fred and George, who were trying to teach Elliot to turn cartwheels, "most kids, anyway."

Charlie nodded. "Thanks," he said again, looking at them both. "This is such a head trip."

Arthur patted his son's shoulder again. "It must be. Well, your mum and I, we're happy to help. We all are. You won't lack babysitters whenever you and Lauren need some time for just the two of you."

"Yeah, that would be great," Charlie said. "I don't know where we're going, but I'm working on her." He looked at Bill then, with a wide grin. "Alright, I don't want everyone to wonder what's up with me, let's go back."

Not five minutes after they rejoined their family at the table, Elliot ran from Fred and George and whispered in his mum's ear. She smiled and nodded to him and then beckoned Charlie to her.

"Elliot needs the loo. Can you show us where it is please?" She spoke quietly, so as not to draw too much attention to the little boy.

"Of course," said Charlie, reaching out his hand. "Why don't I take you, and your mum can carry on chatting?"

"OK," said Elliot cheerfully, taking his dad's hand and allowing Charlie to lead him to the kitchen door. Charlie deliberately avoided Bill's eyes, not wanting to spark a wider conversation around the table, but he couldn't help but grin as he passed his eldest brother.

Lauren turned to Molly. "While he's not here, can we go back to the conversation about Elliot being able to sense apparition before we see the person? Does it mean he's a wizard?"

"I guess it means he can sense magic," Hermione said slowly, making room beside her for Fred as he and George joined them at the table, needing a rest and a drink after their exertions.

"I don't think it's definitive confirmation of a magical core, sorry," said Arthur. "I want to know as much as you do, but we mustn't jump to conclusions. We'll find out eventually. Or else we'll have to repeat Project George." He gave Molly a meaningful look, and she chuckled, shaking her head.

"Merlin, I had forgotten about that!" she said. "I hope we never to have to do anything like that again!"

"What's Project George? George as in my George?" Angelina looked a bit concerned, looking at her boyfriend who had squeezed himself onto the bench in between Angelina and Molly in order to be closer to the cake.

"Yes," Molly and Arthur said together, and then Molly gestured to Arthur to explain.

"When you two were tiny, you were inseparable," he told his twin sons. "We couldn't put you in different cots, and you didn't even want to be one each side of Molly in bed. You had to be slap bang next to each other or you fussed and yelled until you were."

"We had to cuddle you together or not at all," Bill chipped in, remembering how they had been a lot of weight for his small arms. Charlie, a couple of years younger, had struggled even more, though he had always been strong, even as a child.

"You were little buggers to breastfeed!" Molly reprimanded them with a laugh. "Had to be touching each other all the time then, too." She rolled her eyes, to the amusement of everyone. "Couldn't tuck one under each arm or anything easy like that, oh no … it's a wonder my back still holds me up!"

"We could tell right away that you had some kind of a twin bond, like your uncles," their dad said, with a loving look at his wife, "because of the way you communicated with each other, and that wasn't an issue until one day, when you were about the age Elliot is now, one of you did accidental magic. And then a few days later it happened again. But whenever it happened, only one of you did it, and the other clapped in joy." He looked between the two similar faces, facing each other across the garden table, wondering how they would take this story. "We wanted to find out whether you both had the same kind of magical ability, but there wasn't any easy way to tell you apart, so we put you in 'F' and 'G' tops for a few weeks – this was before you could dress yourselves," Arthur laughed, "so you couldn't swap them – and we watched."

"And," Molly interjected, "as we had suspected, it was always Fred that did the magic. Every time." She looked at her eldest twin. "Whatever happened, you were the instigator. George seemed to be involved in the planning as well as the celebrating, and he always stood right beside you and took equal blame, but we were watching you so closely and Fred was always in charge of doing the actual magic."

Arthur took over the explanation again. "Well, after a while, we got a bit worried, because we hadn't seen George use any magic himself. We talked to Minerva and to Molly's twin brothers and we all began to wonder if Fred was doing the magic for both of you, and where that left little Georgie." Molly reached out for George, who allowed himself to be pulled into a cuddle. "You might think it was mean, but we wanted to make sure that his development wasn't hindered, and we had to find a way to persuade him to start using his own magical core – if he had one. We were concerned it might be only Fred who could do the actual magic," Arthur explained.

"So we initiated Project George," Molly said.

"What did you do?" Fred put his hands on his hips. Hermione-style. He was half-joking, but it was very clear that, even now, his first instinct where George was concerned was protection of the second-born twin. Hermione and Angelina exchanged a glance. They were the only people around the table who knew that Fred and George, sitting opposite each other, had tangled their long legs and feet together as a means of comforting each other.

Arthur reached out from his seat and touched his son's arm. "We temporarily took away the thing George loved most. I flooed with you in my arms to Muriel's. We planned that I would bring you back exactly three minutes later, and Molly stayed next to the fireplace with little George."

"What happened?" Hermione had moved even closer to her husband and she put her arm snugly around his waist, hugging him to her and using their bond connection to remind him of her love and to send some to George as well. She could feel that he was a bit stressed by hearing this, or perhaps by George's reaction to it; it was evoking an old memory that he wasn't consciously aware of, and she wanted to offer as much reassurance as she could. She was glad to see Angie moving closer to George and taking him in her arms as well.

Molly and Arthur both smiled, in reminiscence. "You know those scorch marks on the tiles in front of the fireplace?"

"Yes," several people said at once.

"That happened. George shouted as Arthur and Fred disappeared. Then he ran to the fireplace, held out his hands and conjured a series of increasingly impressive showers of sparks, presumably hoping to recreate the flames and bring Fred back. He thought it worked, of course. He was ever so pleased with himself, because the last shower caused the marks AND coincided with Arthur bringing Fred back."

"Fred who had yelled into my ear for the entire three minutes and used his own magic to turn my favourite cap into slime, which was dripping down my face by the time we got back." Arthur shrugged. "Served me right, really, though we genuinely were doing it for their own good."

"The joys of parenting; having to make difficult decisions when there's no rule book or right answer," said Lauren, and both the older Weasleys smiled and raised their eyebrows in understanding.

"You wouldn't let go of each other for days, and we spent all week giving you ice cream and new toys because we felt so guilty."

"It worked though," Arthur smiled at his wife and sons fondly. "Fred continued to be the main instigator, and his ability to transfigure things at that age was unprecedented, but we had managed to get you to use your own magical core rather than standing back and letting Fred do it all. And we always wondered if that sparked your love of fireworks!"

Several people groaned at Arthur's pun, and Molly had to raise her voice to be heard. "Yes, and from then on it was doubly hard to cope!"

"Well thank you for ensuring I wasn't a squib … I think!" George said, and everyone laughed again, relieved to be through the potentially difficult bit of that conversation. He turned to Angelina, who still had a concerned look on her face. Leaning in, he gave her a deep kiss, tangling his fingers in her dark hair. His automatic closing of the twin bond was felt by Fred and Hermione, who immediately took the chance to share their own kiss.

"What is this," asked Bill. "Some sort of Weasley twin love-in session?"

No-one had a chance to answer him. "Mummy!" Elliot's shout was excited and loud as he ran out of the house towards her. "Guess what I did?"

Lauren smiled. Inside a magical house, it was anyone's guess. "I don't know lovely, what did you do?"

Elliot seemed to notice that several pairs of eyes were on him, including those of the lovely Auntie Fleur, and decided to whisper in Lauren's ear rather than tell everyone. He wasn't as quiet as he thought, though, but for once the Weasley family managed to suppress their noise so as to not embarrass the little boy.

"I peed standing up. Daddy's helping me learn. He says we need to get a pee pong ball."

After that, Penelope and Percy's arrival – pre-empted by another "whoosh" from Elliot which several people clocked on that occasion – might have been an anti-climax if not for the fact that they had brought Elliot a present. After greeting Lauren, they handed him a gift-wrapped book. His polite 'thank you' delighted Molly, who felt manners were very important, and earned Lauren another cup of tea.

"That's so thoughtful, thank you." Lauren said to Penelope, as she watched Elliot struggle to work out how to open the gift paper. "Is that magically wrapped?" she asked Percy, who beamed and touched his fiancée on the arm.

"No." It was Penelope who answered. "My mum isn't magical, and we went there on the way so we could use her sticky tape! When we told her a bit of your story, she said to tell you that she would love to invite you over for a meal sometime. If it would be good to talk to another non-magical woman who made babies with a wizard."

"Oh wow," said Lauren. "That would be amazing! Not that you're not all wonderful," she added quickly, and Molly smiled. "But I would really love to talk to someone in the same position!"

Penelope nodded. "Then I'll give you each other's numbers and you can set something up when you have time. She is very sympathetic; I'm sure she'll tell you her own story and help you in any way she can."

"Thank you." Lauren was feeling more and more relaxed, but Elliot soon pulled her attention back from enjoying her sense of wellbeing.

"Parcel, Mummy!" he reminded her, a bit impatiently.

"Oh, sorry, lovely!" She held her hand out and then changed her mind. "Actually," she said, "I think you should ask Daddy to help." She looked at Charlie and enunciated each syllable in turn. "With his fingers, not his wand."

Fred's laugh was loud and he put his hand to his heart. "Oh Gods, I love this woman."

Buoyed by the trust that Lauren was putting in him, and the support emanating from his family, Charlie grinned back at his brother. "Me too," he said, openly teasing Lauren with his eyes. "Alright, mate, come here and we'll work out how to open it together."

"And I," said Molly, "will pop in and get some more drinks. The youngest four should be here soon. Lauren, would you like to come with me and I can give you a tour of The Burrow?"


	48. Touring The Burrow

"Now," said Molly, as she held open the kitchen door and waved her arm to welcome Lauren into The Burrow. "Don't be afraid to ask anything you like. I shan't be offended. And I'm very discreet, even though I shout a bit."

"I quite like women who shout," Lauren smiled. "Too many of us don't say what we think, so it's wonderful to meet someone who does."

"Yes, well," said Molly. "There's some who think I speak my mind too much." She leaned in closer. "But I don't worry about them!"

"I couldn't agree more!" Lauren was slowly looking around her as she spoke, trying – and failing – to take it all in. "This is truly wonderful," she said to Molly. "So cosy!"

"Thank you." Molly was, again, so pleased to have her home admired.

"May I use the loo first?"

"Gods yes, of course. This way!" Molly took Lauren up a couple of half-flights of stairs and showed her the bathroom. "Tap here to flush – your finger will work just as well as a wand – and press here to turn on the tap," she instructed.

"Thank you." Once Molly had left, Lauren looked around. It wasn't that different from her own bathroom, although she didn't recognise any of the toiletries, many of which were in plain glass bottles. She very much liked the soap though; it looked home-made and it smelled glorious. Wiping her hands on a soft towel after she had used the loo, Lauren contemplated herself in the mirror, fluffing her hair slightly as she did. As was her habit, she took her moisturizer out of her bag and rubbed some on her face, which was warm and a little dry from the sun. She smiled into the mirror and shook her head, still not quite believing all that had happened in the past couple of days. "You can do this," she told herself. "There's going to be lots of change if Elliot is a wizard, but it's what he will need, and all the evidence suggests that things will be just as good as before. Maybe better."

And she really did believe that, she thought, as she slowly made her way back down the creaky wooden stairs. Charlie was a good man, she had no doubt of that, and she was being offered a place in this gorgeous, enormous family who were already treating her as if she were one of their own. And yes, if her child was magical then it might mean leaving some of her own world behind, at least on an everyday basis, but she had moved only a couple of years back and many of her current relationships were still more superficial than she would like. The idea of having a new family with whom she could grow a history and have deep relationships was more than Lauren could have dreamed of. Smiling to herself, Lauren wondered how long she would have to wait to find out about Elliot. She had hoped – in vain, she now knew – that Charlie's parents might just be able to know whether he was a wizard or not, but that wasn't the case. They would have to wait, maybe weeks or months, if the story of George was anything to go by.

"Everything OK?" Molly asked, when Lauren re-entered the kitchen.

"Thank you, yes," she replied. "It's nice to have a few minutes to just get my head around it all."

"Can I get you anything?"

"No, I'm OK." Lauren sighed. "For what it's worth, I totally understand why you undertook Project George. I feel like my whole life is hanging on knowing for sure whether Elliot is a wizard or not at the moment." Molly led Lauren to the living room where her eyes grew large at seeing the magical knitting needles clicking away in the corner. Molly lifted her wand, planning to stop them, but Lauren caught her arm. "Don't worry, it's OK. I need to get used to it all."

"Time. You just need time," Molly reassured, and Lauren nodded in agreement.

"I'm sure you're right."

"Would you really want to know now if you could?" Molly looked closely at Lauren. "Or do you think you need some adjustment time for that, too?"

"I really would want to know now if I could," Lauren said, without any hesitation. "Hermione was convinced enough when she saw the marks on the kitchen ceiling to tell me about the wizarding world." Then her stomach fell a bit, as she realised what a risk Hermione had taken for her. "I do get that it wasn't certain, and I'm so grateful for her for telling me the way she did. And since that day, it has been a rollercoaster of experiences."

Lauren missed the look of confusion on Molly's face at that term, but the older witch got the gist and didn't interrupt, instead pulling Lauren gently to the sofa. "Come on, love, let's get it out," she said, and they sat down together. Molly didn't let go of the younger woman's hand as her stream of consciousness continued.

"And Elliot keeps seeing Charlie do magic, and he'll see more today, I'm sure, and that's fine, but the ramifications of sending him back to his playgroup – where he'll tell everyone about that – are huge." Lauren finally took a breath before she carried on, with even more emotion in her voice than before. "And yet if he isn't magical, I don't know how fair it is to expose him to this world, where he'll never fit in properly…"

"Lauren Bennett," said Molly, very quietly. "I don't know whether we're really talking about Elliot fitting in or about you fitting in." Lauren nodded. Molly was spot on there. "But here's the thing." Molly took Lauren's hands into her own. "You're both ours now, whether you like it or not. And we very much want to keep you." Molly's eyes were damp with the depth of emotion she already felt for this young woman that her son had met in the mountains.

Tears fell from Lauren's eyes too. "I very much want to be kept," she whispered, as Molly used her wand to summon tissues.

"Well then, that's sorted," Molly said, waiting for Lauren to release her tears and then dry them before she continued. "Now, I can't give you complete certainty, but I can tell you that I would be flabbergasted if little Elliot doesn't have a magical core. Our family magic runs deep on both sides, as evidenced by the twins, whose bond is more special than even they know. And there are things that Arthur didn't mention about Project George..."

"Oh?" Lauren looked up.

"Well our dear friend Minerva, who you will one day meet, did the arithmancy for us. She likes arithmancy, which is something you'll have to ask Hermione about, because I don't understand it at all! Anyway, she calculated that the chance of Arthur and I producing a non-magical child was too small even to calculate; it was the twin bond which was the unknown factor. But she also told us all sorts of other numbers, to reassure us about George. Most of them went over my head, but one thing she said that I'll never forget was that our magic ran so deep that the chance of any of our children having a non-magical child, even with a completely non-magical partner, was only about one in seven thousand. I always remembered that number," she smiled, "though I have no idea why, and I truly never thought it would come in handy…" She laughed a bit at that thought.

"Really?" Lauren felt as if she were teetering on the edge of a cliff, but was surprised to find that she felt exhilarated rather than scared.

Molly nodded her head, looking off to the side. "And when we add in the fact that Elliot can sense apparition, and the strange things that happened at your house … well, yes, technically speaking we do need to wait to be certain, but there's such a slim chance of him not being a wizard that it's hardly worth considering." She searched Lauren's eyes, hoping the young woman had been honest about her feelings. "You did say you wanted to know…"

"I did," Lauren opened her arms, and Molly gladly took her into a deep hug. "Thank you. I feel so much better for knowing those are the odds. I still need a bit of time, but knowing the chances are that slim makes my decision a LOT easier." She blew her nose. "I'd love that tour now, if you have time?"

"Of course!" Molly held out a hand to help Lauren up, although it was Lauren who ended up needing to help Molly more as she rose, and they both laughed at this. For the next fifteen minutes, Molly gave Lauren the grand tour of the rooms and an overview of how a magical household worked, and Lauren was enthralled. "Don't you be worrying that you need to run a house like this for your family though," she told Lauren, who managed to stop herself from replying that she didn't see it as her role to run any house any way. "Once you meet Penelope's mum, or Seamus or, well lots of other people, you'll see that it's perfectly possible to combine the best of both worlds into something that will work for you and Charlie!"

Lauren stopped herself again. She was about to remind Molly that she and Charlie weren't an item, but at the same time she didn't want to do any damage to the bond that she was developing with Molly. There would be time to clarify those things later, she supposed.

"Lauren," Molly said, more hesitantly this time. "There's something I want to give you, but I'm a tad worried I might offend you."

"Oh?" Lauren was curious. "Well," she said slowly. "Then I promise that I will be open-minded and not take offense. We come from very different cultural backgrounds, and I understand that we have different beliefs. How about we agree that, if we don't understand something or we have a difference of opinion, we'll talk it through together calmly and find a place where we can agree or compromise?"

Molly breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, dear, that sounds perfect. OK, so…" She pulled a brown bottle out of her pocket. "I want to give you this. I'm just going to say it … it's a contraceptive potion that works on wizards. Muggle contraceptives usually work fine, in my understanding, but I imagine you were using something muggle when you made Elliot, and I'm not trying to push you and Charlie together. Well," she tried to look slightly contrite but ended up looking mischievous instead, "I am, really, but this is not about that. It's only fair … I just wondered whether … well look, dear, here it is and it's up to you if you want to take it or not. I've written out instructions, and it's quite safe. Hermione says it's loads safer than muggle pills."

"Thank you." Lauren reached and wrapped her own hand around Molly's. "For what it's worth, I'm very touched, and not offended at all. And I don't know what's going to happen with Charlie and I, but I appreciate this and I will tuck it away and think about it if and when the time comes." She leaned forward and gave Molly a kiss on the cheek, which caused Molly to grab Lauren into a tight hug with both arms. "Don't be offended at this either," Molly whispered into Lauren's ear, "but it's nice to have someone else to cuddle with a bit of meat on them … most of mine are so skinny, like Arthur, and there's hardly anything to hug! The twins are like beanpoles! And Ginny! At least Charlie has a bit of muscle on him."

Lauren laughed loudly at that one and agreed heartily with Molly. "Indeed!"

They broke apart and went to the kitchen, as Molly wanted to take more tea back out. "Oh, I wonder when they arrived?" Molly said, almost to herself, as she gathered items onto another large tray which she planned to levitate out into the garden. Lauren looked out and saw another two redheads along with a slim blonde woman and a friendly-looking dark-haired man, who was walking arm-in-arm with Hermione while the newly arrived redheaded man trotted beside them, chatting away. The blonde woman was talking to Charlie, who had sat Elliot on his shoulders and was holding his hands to ensure he didn't fall.

Molly gave Lauren a quick explanation of who was who, and then led her and levitated the full tray into the garden, so that Lauren could meet Harry, Ginny, Ron and Luna.

"Hello, you must be Ginny?" Lauren extended her hand and Ginny rolled her eyes at it with a grin, pulling Lauren into a hug instead.

"I am, and it's lovely to add another woman to the family. Plus Hermione says you're not afraid to give Fred a run for his money, so I already like you just for that."

Lauren laughed. "I hope Elliot didn't give you too much of an earful about your horse?"

Ginny smiled as the two women walked across the garden; she was pleased to have had a few moments with Lauren before Harry and Ron barged into the conversation. "It was the first thing he asked when we got here and he heard my voice, so I conjured it for him. But it's not a spell that's easy to do repeatedly, so Charlie's giving him a horse ride instead!" She turned back to Lauren. "It really is good to meet you … how are you doing with the mob? We're lovely, I know, but exhausting! We should arrange some quieter get-togethers for you over the next few weeks. And don't be afraid to sneak off when you need to; Percy and Hermione know all the good hiding spots, though you have to be careful that Hermione and Fred aren't shagging in them." Lauren laughed loudly as Ginny rolled her eyes and then waved her arm as they walked a bit further from the house. "Or, even better, get Dad to show you his shed…"

Lauren turned her head to see what Ginny was indicating. "Oh, gosh, what a lovely cabin!" Lauren stared at Arthur's shed as if it was a hand-crafted pine lodge. Which it was, to anyone who wasn't affected by the charms that were designed to make it look old and tatty. "It's beautiful! May I see inside?" Ginny turned around to look at her mother and both seemed a bit confused as Lauren walked towards the door, which was ajar. She spotted Bill and Arthur, who had slipped in there unnoticed for a few minutes of peace and quiet in their armchairs while Molly was inside and before they went on cooking duty. "Oh, look at you both; you're all set up in here … it's fabulous!"

Inside his now not-so-secret haven, Arthur looked horrified. Clearly, his concealing charms didn't work on muggles, or perhaps taking down all the anti-muggle charms had affected the spellwork that made his shed look old and tatty when it came to Lauren. Either way, Lauren was in danger of revealing his secret to the rest of his family. Who already knew all about it, but Arthur didn't know that.

"What, this old place?!" he scoffed in a self-deprecating manner, as Hermione ran over, took a confused Lauren's hand and led her quickly through the shed door, where she hid Lauren's gasp upon seeing the well-appointed interior up close by coughing loudly.

The rest of the Weasleys valiantly pretended not to notice but Ginny, Fred and George were barely able to conceal their laughter as Arthur hurried the two women into the shed and he, Bill and Hermione quickly explained the situation to Lauren. A few minutes later, Lauren and Hermione emerged and a grin appeared on Lauren's face as Hermione quietly added the punchline to the story and explained that, actually, the rest of the family did know about Arthur's secret hideaway, but they all pretended not to. She, Arthur and Bill could see the real shed only because they held their own key.

"It's nice to know I have one skill that you all don't," Lauren joked quietly, eliciting a grin from Ginny.

"I know you have lots," Charlie said, coming up behind them with Elliot still on his shoulders. "We just haven't sussed them all out yet!"

"Is it our turn to meet you now?" Lauren turned to see who owned the soft, lilting voice and was greeted with a smile that she knew she would never forget.

"Luna?" she asked, hoping she had correctly remembered Molly's introductions.

"At your service," answered the younger woman, stepping towards Lauren and giving her a gentle hug. "And this is Ron, and Harry." Lauren shook hands with them both, noting that they seemed a bit less confident about hugging her than the older men. She imagined it was an age thing. "We've already met Elliot," Luna continued, smiling at the little boy.

"It's very nice to meet you," said Harry.

"Same," added Ron, with a nod. It was immediately clear to Lauren that these two might take a bit more time to get to know than some of the Weasleys. She was happy to take that time but it suddenly struck her that she knew very little about the two young men standing before her. There was an awkward pause as she looked at both of them. She had no idea what either of them did for a living and neither of them were carrying anything that could spark a conversation. She spotted that Harry had an oddly-shaped scar on his forehead and wondered if there was an interesting story behind how he had acquired it, but then rejected that thought. He had probably just banged his head on something; scalp injuries always bled a lot, she knew, so presumably they were more likely to scar.

As the silence hung over them and Ron shuffled from one foot to the other while Luna seemed to just gaze into space, Lauren felt that she had to say something. "Do you know," she began, "I'm so sorry, but I don't even know where to begin. I mean, I don't know what we might have in common to talk about. It seems a bit corny to talk about the weather," she waved her hand at the cloudless sky, "but I don't know anything about you…" She trailed off, not sure what to say next.

"That's bloody marvellous," said Ron. Lauren looked at him warily, completely unclear as to whether he was joking or not and ready to apologise and explain her words in more depth. But then she saw Harry's face. A huge grin was spreading across it.

"It really is," Harry said, with an exuberant nod that reminded Lauren of an excited puppy.

"It is?" she asked.

"Yeah," said Ron. Because in our world, everyone knows who we are, and they always ask us the same things, and it's really boring. It's bloody marvellous that you don't. We can tell you the things we want you to know. I'm Ron," he said again, "and I like chess and chocolate frogs," he grinned.

"Chocolate!" Lauren pointed at him. "We have chocolate in common," she said, subconsciously reaching to touch her pocket, which still held the bag of truffles that Fred had brought her. "What a great start! I've not tried a chocolate frog yet, but I would very much like to. Would you swap me one for some muggle chocolate next time we see each other?"

"Absolutely," Ron said, looking very pleased with himself.

"And I'm Harry," said Harry, with a nod of his head, "and I love treacle tart and pizza. Hermione's our other best friend and when she and Fred have their pizza night I am going to make sure I get there first, because this lot," he waved his hand randomly around the garden, "eat everything and you have to be early."

"Yeah," said Ron, his eyes wide. "And Harry and I are training to be aurors."

"That's a sort of wizarding police," Harry supplied.

"Oh really?" Lauren was surprised. These two didn't look like they would have been candidates for the police force in the non-magical world, but perhaps things were different in their world. "I'd like to hear more about that sometime, though I must admit I'm a bit full of information at the moment."

"Must be weird," said Ron, and Lauren smiled, raising her eyebrows a bit, but before she could reply, she heard Luna's ethereal voice again.

"I think Arthur's ready to start cooking anyway," Luna said. "He didn't like that we were focusing on his secret space, and he's hoping to distract everyone with sausages." She turned to Lauren "You might want to have a break, I think. Charlie's made you a quiet spot and he's heading over to collect you."

Lauren touched Luna's arm, telling the newcomers again how lovely it was to meet them and explaining that, yes, she would love a bit of quiet time with Charlie and Elliot. "Nothing personal," she added.

"Of course," said Harry. "Lots of people. We understand. You should take a break while you can. Plenty of time to chat over lunch and after." Lauren was grateful for his insight, and also slightly surprised by it. Perhaps she had underestimated the dark-haired young man.

"I'll get you some chocolate frogs," said Ron.

"For pizza night, if not before," Harry grinned.

"That sounds lovely," Lauren said, turning her head as Charlie approached with Elliot holding his hand.

"Shall we sit for a bit, love?" Charlie asked, pointing behind Lauren at a quilt that Molly had spread under a tree with a few toys for Elliot to play with.

"That would be lovely." She turned back to Ron and Harry. "You said you've met Elliot already?" she asked.

"Yes," said Ron, smiling at his nephew.

"But as we didn't produce a horse, he wasn't very interested," Harry added, and then grinned again. "Honestly, there's loads of time and we quite like not being the centre of attention for a change. Really."

Lauren wasn't sure how to answer that, until she remembered that Molly had said she needed to explain some things and alluded to Harry playing a significant part in that, so she simply smiled, nodded in farewell and allowed Charlie to lead her over to the quilt.

"Can I help Gandad?" Elliot asked, and Charlie looked to Lauren for guidance.

"Do you think your dad would be OK with that?" she asked him, not knowing whether Arthur would welcome Elliot's help or find it annoying.

"I think he'd be delighted but there's only one way to find out for sure; come on then, mate…" Charlie scooped Elliot up and walked over to the barbeque area. After a quick conversation, Elliot was hoisted by Charlie up onto Bill's shoulders from where he happily watched Arthur and Percy turning meat while holding onto Bill's ponytail. Bill, Fleur and Penelope were helping Molly to bring salads, bread and what seemed like a whole kitchen full of crockery and cutlery outside. Lauren watched in amazement as Fleur and Penelope pointed their wands at the table and benches, which grew longer in front of her eyes.

Charlie jogged back and then bounced down onto the quilt beside Lauren.

"So now you've met everyone, I think?"

"I have. And they're gorgeous, Charlie. You have the most wonderful family…"

"Yeah, I do," he said, knowing how very lucky they were to all still be together after the war had taken so many. "I really do…"

Lauren lay back on a large cushion which Molly had left next to the toys, allowing her eyes to lose focus and gaze through the branches of the tree above them. "It's beautiful here. Like another world…"

Charlie reached for her hand. "A world you would like to visit again?" He couldn't keep the hope out of his voice.

Lauren rolled over onto her side to face him, realising in that moment the extent to which her uncertainty was affecting him. "Fuck, yes. God, I never wanted you to think I was in doubt about spending time with your family, Charlie. The thing I'm unsure about is which world will be my base. They're both different, and my experience with the road this morning was another confirmation that I pretty much need to choose one or the other. Not to mention the distance between the two; your mum has invited me over to learn some things from her, but it's a long drive to do regularly, so that needs to be thought through…"

She didn't mention the earlier conversation she had had with Molly about Elliot and his magic, and she didn't know why. Maybe she just needed a bit more space to process it, she thought. She knew that, if she gave Charlie a 'yes', that would be it. They had been clear with each other during their time in Romania that they weren't looking for more, but things had changed. Charlie had been equally clear that he wanted more now. If she agreed, he would be all in; committed to her forever. Hermione had alluded to that when they had talked last week and it was further confirmed by every interaction she had with Charlie's family. That kind of promise was something that Lauren had shied away from since she had lost her parents and yet, as she tipped her head and watched Fred and Hermione kissing in one corner of the garden and George and Angelina cuddling in another, all so in love and so enjoying each other's company, she wondered if it wasn't perhaps her who was missing out.

"Tell me more about what you want, Charlie." She turned and looked at him, her eyes soft. "I still need time to think about it, but I'd really like to get a clear idea of what you'd like from me … can you give me that?"

"OK…" He thought for a moment, and then lifted his hand to rest it on her waist. "This OK?"

"Mmmm hmmm," Lauren hummed in contentment. "It's nice."

"I meant what I said last night, sweets. I want to make a life with you. I want the three of us to be together, as a family. I know Mum and Dad would let me stay here but I'd love to move in with you and Elliot until we decide whether we want to stay there or move somewhere else together. Even if you don't want me in your bed, I could pitch a tent outside or something."

Lauren began to protest. Yes, she knew he had spent many nights in a tent – that was his life when they had met – but she couldn't make him sleep in the garden.

"I'm just saying that I want you to have the option of having me there as Elliot's dad even if you don't want me there as your man." It was painful to say, but Charlie knew it was only fair to be as clear as she herself always was. "I know that this has messed up Elliot being able to go to playgroup…" he paused to check the word, and Lauren nodded, "and stuff, and that will impact your work. And," Charlie continued to watch Lauren to gauge her reaction, "if it would be alright with you, my dream would be to be a stay at home dad for Elliot for a few months, so I can replace those things and get to know him … catch up with what I've missed while we work things out." Her face was soft, and Charlie was relieved to see her nod and smile at that idea.

"That would solve one of my immediate concerns," Lauren said. "It's been worrying me for a couple of days. He goes there on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, from nine til one and that's when I get a lot of my work done. Sometimes one of the other mums brings him home for me, which gives me an extra hour or so, because they come via the park…"

"I can do that," said Charlie. "We can go to the park, or come here sometimes – which Mum will love – and there are loads of things we can do to keep us out of the house and let you work, love."

"That could be good," Lauren said. "I'm not ready to give up my career yet."

"No, you shouldn't," Charlie agreed. "Although," he added quickly, "I can totally pay my way while I take some time off, and then get work that fits with where we want to live. I'm not expecting you to support me in any way." He looked into Lauren's eyes. "But separate to all of that, I'd love to be your man. In my dream, love, when you've got used to it all, I want to be yours. I want to spend long days here with you and the rest of our family in the summer, and cosy up inside in the winter, and to one day make more babies with you. I know you need time to think about that bit but, as you asked, that's what I want..."

"Thank you for telling me. I am thinking about the last bit a lot, I promise," Lauren assured him. "And I'm working really hard on trying to make that a possibility in my head. As soon as I get there, I'll let you know. Or if I realise I can't get there, I'll let you know that too." She turned to face him, her voice earnest. "I promise I'll not string you along, Charlie, and we'll always parent Elliot together no matter what I decide."

"Mmmmm…" Charlie didn't trust himself to answer that directly. He wanted her in his life so badly; not just as a co-parent and a friend, but as a lover, a partner … a wife, even, if she could see her way to going there with him. But he knew he had to wait. The difference between their worlds was so big, and he couldn't force her to cross all the way into his unless or until she was ready to make that leap. Charlie wanted to allow himself to take some hope from Lauren's words, but he didn't dare. But he was a patient man. He had loved this woman from afar and without knowing if he would ever even see her again for three years now. Now that she was back in his life and he could see her smile, touch her hand and hear her words, he could be patient for as long as he needed to be.


	49. Announcements

"For the second time of asking," Arthur shouted, with the help of a sonorous charm, "do you all have a drink? And if so, please raise your glasses with me and formally welcome Lauren and Elliot to the Weasley family!"

Even with a sonorous charm there would have been no chance of hearing anything above the cheering and clapping that followed. Lauren beamed in joy as she looked around the table and met the eyes of those raising their glasses to her. She toasted them in return, acknowledging their words and thanking them for the welcome, and Elliot clapped in glee from atop a fat cushion which Fred had conjured for him.

"OK," Arthur called again, waving his wand to apply a spell that Molly had picked up from the house elves at Hogwarts when she was helping them clear up after the final battle. It moved all of the food onto the table instantly. "Please help yourselves to food!"

Later, Lauren would realise that that was the turning point at which she had begun to not be surprised at the magic that was happening around her. It was the first time that she hadn't found herself gasping in shock, and she took the appearance of food on the table in her stride. She graciously allowed Charlie, Hermione and Fred to summon food, levitate plates in her direction and to move them on when she had selected what she wanted. Lauren recognised this as an important step in her acceptance of the culture that she was in, and then smiled to herself at the way in which she tended, even off work and at the weekend, to apply her academic mind to her experiences of everyday life. Not that there was anything very everyday about the life she had been living since the previous Wednesday.

She and Charlie helped Elliot to pick some food for his plate as well, giving him small bites of just a few things so he could find out what he liked, and then she lifted her fork to dive into her burger and salad. "This all looks wonderful," she announced, and several people agreed with her.

"Mum and Dad do good barbeques," Ron told her. "It's the only thing I write down, so I don't miss them!"

"Ron's the Weasley family foodie, in case you hadn't noticed," Fred announced. Ron looked at him for a long minute, not sure whether to take that as a compliment or an insult.

"Now that we've settled down and welcomed Lauren and Elliot," said Arthur, deliberately stepping in before Ron could finish deciding "does anyone have any news or announcements? I know Molly would like to say something, but what about the rest of you?"

"I do," said Fred. "Some of you know, but not all. Just to say that my lovely wife…"

"And my lovely wife-in-law…" added George.

"Indeed," said Fred, "is going to be the new Head of Planning at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes!"

Several people cheered, as Charlie turned to Lauren and asked if she understood. She nodded, reminding him that Fred had told her all about the shop over their dinner on the Friday evening. He made a quick thumbs up sign and Lauren touched his arm, thanking him for his thoughtfulness.

"So she starts tomorrow and it won't be full time, as we have the Kingsley stuff and some other things going on as well, but we just wanted you to know."

A few seconds of silence followed and then Percy and Penelope caught each other's eyes and nodded before Percy stood up. "We don't want a fuss and you can do hugging later, if you must, but I asked Penelope to marry me last night, and she said yes. And please, please no fuss, especially as we don't want to overshadow meeting Lauren and Elliot, but we just wanted you all to know."

"Well that's marvellous news, son," Arthur said. "Let Molly and I do the congratulating for all of us." Pushing his chair back, he stood to shake Percy's hand and give Penelope a kiss on the cheek, as Molly engulfed them both in a hug and the whole family offered a quieter round of congratulations that better suited Percy and Penelope's style.

"I can't beat that," said Ginny. "Anyone else?"

"Well," said Molly, sitting back down in her chair and taking a fortifying sip of pumpkin juice. She had been planning this all morning, but she still wasn't certain how she would explain it. "I need to announce that I am menopausal." She paused for a few seconds to let that sink in. "And as such, I reserve the right to be even more cross and shouty than usual, and I hope that you will all live with it and not take it personally. There will," she looked directly at Fred and George, "be no pranks played upon me until further notice, because I do not have the capacity to deal with them, but any work that you do to create items for witches at my stage of life will be rewarded with pie and my ringing endorsement of your products to all my friends. Who I can assure you are a worthy target market with plenty of disposable income, as their ungrateful offspring have all just left home too."

"Wicked." Fred and George looked at each other and then at Hermione, who bowed her head slightly, so as not to give away her response to their emotions and her own amusement at how well Molly had picked up the twins' business terminology.

"Noted," she smiled when she looked up again. "We'll get onto it and have a nice basket of soothing and calming things available for Christmas. And perhaps I can arrange a private testing party with some free samples so you and your friends can give us your opinions."

"Ohhhhh, that sounds lovely," Molly sighed, remembering George's glitterbubble gift from last year. Arthur smiled broadly. He made a mental note to visit Hermione in the shop the next week to offer some suggestions.

"What's menopause?" Ron asked Ginny, who turned around to look at him and Harry. They both shrugged.

Hermione sighed, turning to Lauren. "One thing to bear in mind for the future is that wizarding school is pretty rubbish at teaching the birds and the bees, or anything related to reproductive health, come to that."

Lauren nodded, looking at Ron and then Hermione before she spoke to Molly. "Do you want to answer that, or can we help?"

"Oh please do," said Molly, as Hermione spread her arm in a 'be my guest' gesture and smiled at Lauren, inviting the older woman to start. Molly sat back in her chair. She was going to enjoy this.

"In a physical sense, menopause," said Lauren, carefully putting down her burger and wiping her fingers on a napkin, "is the name given to the time in a woman's life when she stops being able to get pregnant and give birth. Her hormone levels change, usually over the course of a few years. It's perfectly healthy and normal."

She paused. Ron and Harry appeared to have understood. She decided not to look around and see how many more Weasleys were in need of the information. Instead, she turned to Hermione, who was still smiling.

"The word is Greek," Hermione added, "and, literally translated, it means the end of a woman's monthly cycles." She laughed as she saw Bill and Charlie smirking at the startled expression that had suddenly appeared on Ron's face and gestured to Lauren to continue. Luna, on the other hand, was enraptured. The motherless woman had clearly not heard about this before and was delighted to be learning about it now.

"Some women experience physical challenges, like sleeplessness. Some find their heart sometimes races or feels like it's skipping beats or they feel hot for no reason, especially if they feel emotional or if they eat or drink certain things. That can make them feel anxious and very stressed, and that can cause what looks like an over-response to things that wouldn't normally seem stressful." Charlie nodded, now understanding more about what had happened the previous day. He looked across the table at his mum, whispering an apology, and she nodded, feeling another wave of the very warmth that Lauren was describing and not wanting too much attention drawn to her. Quietly, she cast another cooling charm over herself.

Meanwhile, Lauren's explanation continued. "Sometimes menopausal women feel really emotional, but without always knowing why. In a broader sense, though, many people consider it a … well, a time of positive social and even spiritual change as well. At least amongst thinking people in my social circle and in many non-magical cultures; I'm not sure about in the magical world?" She looked at Molly, a bit uncertainly, and was rewarded with reassuring smile. Now feeling cooler again, Molly was enjoying this.

"Here, too, I think, to some extent," Hermione said softly.

"Well," Lauren continued. "So in a more general sense we could say that menopause marks the time in a woman's life when…" she trailed off and looked to see if Elliot was listening. He was. Intently. From his cushion in between Charlie and Fred. "When she can stop giving a fig about what anyone else thinks. Many women feel liberated and they become much stronger in their own … well, energy, I suppose. They speak their minds more. Often, women start doing things they always wanted to do but weren't able to before, for whatever reason."

"Bloody hell," said Ron, who had not paid attention to whether Elliot was listening. Fred chuckled, and George waved his wand, sending a hex which had the effect of flicking Ron's ear.

"Ow!" Ron looked at George crossly, holding his hand to the side of his head. Elliot was delighted with this performance, and clapped his hands together, to which George responded with a bow.

"Thank you, George," said Molly. "Young ears, Ron!" she reprimanded her youngest son, tilting her head towards Elliot.

"But you've always spoken your mind!" Ron noted.

"Indeed," replied his mother. "And I shall continue to enjoy doing so."

"Do you think McGonagall has the menopause too?" Ron asked Harry quietly.

"Oh, I should think so," Harry nodded.

"It's not a disease, Ronald," Hermione said. "Lauren's already explained that it's a perfectly normal, natural, healthy stage of life. It's just that the physical transition can be challenging for a few months or years as well as advantageous."

"Do you think Hermione's going to get it too?" Ron's eyes had grown larger as he whispered again to Harry. That time it was Fred who leaned over and flicked a hex, but harder than George's. But before he could add his own reprimand, Hermione spoke.

"I should certainly hope so, one day," she told him. "But I'd like to raise some babies of my own first, if you wouldn't mind allowing me a couple of decades to do that."

"Really?" asked Fred, moving his body close to hers and taking her face into his hand.

"Yes, really," she said, stroking his face and sending love through their bond, making George smile goofily as well. "You know that, silly. One day soon. Just not tomorrow." As she leaned over and kissed Fred's lips, Harry and Ron groaned in unison, feigning disgust and then laughing together as if they had regressed to being third years.

Lauren was looking at Molly, not sure whether to carry on or stop. "Do please continue, Lauren dear," said Molly, who was more ready than ever to adopt the muggle woman, or at least promise her a lifetime's supply of babysitting and chocolate cake.

"I think I've said most of what I can. But no, it's not something you get, like a disease," Lauren said to Ron. Hermione was impressed by the level of patience she was able to display in the face of his inane questioning. "Think of it as a journey … something a woman experiences, or goes through. And I think the biggest, most important thing is for a woman's family and friends to know how to best support her."

There was a short pause before Bill took the lead. "So how can we best support you, Mum?"

Molly beamed. "If you all took what Lauren and Hermione said on board and gave me a bit of extra leeway, that would be great. All the things I said when we sat down," she looked back at Fred and George, "about no pranks." They nodded, knowing she was serious. "I just don't have the physical tolerance. Even small surprises or noises make my heart race, and it's horrible. I don't mean to be extra grumpy either, but I wake at 3am these days and I often can't get back to sleep."

"If you ever need a rest from cooking, Molly," said Fleur, "we can take turns?"

Ron couldn't help himself. "That's a point. Will we still be having Sunday dinners?"

"Well I'm glad you've got your priorities straight, Ron!" He looked at Hermione, not sure how she was intending the echo of his own words when they were back at school. But she had heard Molly's chuckle and she was smiling at him. He grinned back. "Well whatever your mum decides, we're all very happy to help. And, in fact, Fred and I," she held her husband even closer, "and George and Ange," she smiled at the nearby pair, "would like to invite you all to ours for a pizza night on Friday, if you're all free. Celebrate the end of my first week, and as a bit of a thank you for all your help with the wedding."

There was a general murmur of excitement.

"And me?" Elliot asked. Hermione only heard him because he was close enough.

"Yes, of course, if you'd like to come?"

"I like pizza." Then his face became a bit more serious. "Is Graham coming?"

Fred leaned down towards the little boy. "Yes, but he'll probably stay in his bedroom. Otherwise he might get pizza sauce in his fur." Fred shook himself, pulling a funny face, and Elliot laughed. "You can visit him there," he promised, before turning back to Hermione and smiling in happiness at the way his family had responded to their idea. Hermione put her hand on his thigh, which immediately took Fred's attention. He wondered how long it would be before they could sneak off somewhere and celebrate their three-week anniversary in the customary fashion and began to whisper words to that effect into her ear.

Arthur, realising that Molly was keen for the attention to move on elsewhere, asked Harry and Ron how their auror training was going. The two of them dove into a lengthy description of what they had been doing that week, and most of the rest of the family were glad of the chance to listen to tales of their exploits while they ate. Elliot, however, had finished the food that Lauren and Charlie had put on his plate and was keen to try a sausage. But Fred was occupied with whispering to Hermione and Charlie was just as busy helping Lauren to more salad. So, having watched other family members use their wands to summon food and to pass it to each other, Elliot decided to try it himself. Reaching for Fred's wand, which he had lain beside him on the bench in order to hold Hermione with both arms, Elliot lifted it and pointed it at the sausages.

"Atchoo sausages" he shouted, making the wand move in the same pattern that he had seen others use to bring things to them.

The effect was immediate. The plate of sausages lifted off the table and began to hover in the air uncertainly before moving jerkily towards the little boy, who was still holding Fred's wand. Fred gently disarmed him and Ron and Harry gave a practical demonstration of their auror training as they simultaneously grabbed their wands and stopped the motion of the plate, although they couldn't prevent most of the sausages from continuing their journey. George and Hermione managed to redirect half of them back onto the plate, which Ron was now using as a goal, while Charlie scooped Elliot into his lap. He, Elliot and Lauren, however, still ended up being showered by the remaining sausages, which pleased Elliot, concerned Charlie – who was worried how Lauren would take this development – and, after a few moments of surprise, made Lauren laugh so hard that tears of mirth began to run down her face. As it dawned on her that she no longer had to live with uncertainty, they turned into tears of hope and relief. She looked at Molly for confirmation and Molly nodded vigorously, know exactly what Lauren was asking.

"Not even accidental," Molly said. "I'd say that was pretty deliberate!"

"Charlie," Lauren said, turning to him. "We made a little wizard."

More applause broke out amongst the assembled Weasleys and their partners, and Elliot was delighted with the effect his 'spell' had had. While Fleur, who was on Lauren's other side, helped Lauren pick off the sausages from her dress and began to magically remove the grease stains, much to Lauren's delight, Arthur gave Charlie a knowing look. Charlie understood exactly what his father was trying to tell him. He looked at Lauren for confirmation and then spoke.

"Elliot," he said quietly and seriously to his son, making sure he had the little boy's attention. "That was very clever, and we're all very happy to see that you can do magic, but you're not supposed to use other people's wands. Please say sorry to Fred and promise me you won't take anyone's wand again?"

Elliot looked sad. "Sorry Fred," he said, without looking up.

Fred leaned down and gave Elliot a noisy kiss on the top of his head, his big hand stroking Elliot's back as he did. "It's alright, mate. You didn't know. But from now on you need to wait until you get your own wand. Then you can learn to do magic properly."

"I'll get my own stick?" Elliot immediately turned to his father, eyes wide. This was such a potentially exciting development that Elliot needed to ensure that he had heard correctly.

"When you're old enough," Charlie told him, with a glance at Fred. "You need to be eleven, and that's quite a long while."

Elliot considered that, but he couldn't really compute that length of time. "Will Mummy get a stick too?"

Ah. That was going to be trickier, and Charlie hadn't planned for that. Fleur and Lauren looked at each other, each wondering how Charlie would deal with Elliot's question. Lauren quietly thanked Fleur for cleaning her dress and then turned to watch Charlie's response.

"No," he replied, after a few moments thought. "Mummy doesn't need a wand."

"Why?" Elliot asked.

"Well, look at her," Charlie said, and Elliot did, along with the rest of the family. With all those eyes on her, Lauren felt even more grateful for Fleur's efforts at reinstating her dress to its previous state. Charlie put his arm around Lauren and drew her close. "She grew you into a person in her tummy and she made mummy milk to feed you herself, didn't she?" Elliot nodded in agreement. "And she makes yummy food. She takes care of you and makes up stories and she's very clever and teaches people important things." He thought, and then his eyes got larger to emphasise his next words. "And she can drive the car and she gets us sweeties to eat when we're in it." Elliot nodded again. "I can't drive the car," Charlie told his little boy, although he wasn't nearly as sad about that fact as he made himself look. "So Mummy doesn't need a wand," he said quietly, looking into Lauren's eyes. "She can do magic without one."

Several people found they needed to look down at their food after he had said that, or rub a bit of dust out of their eye. Molly grasped Arthur's hand tightly.

"What is important, though," he looked at his son again, to ensure that had Elliot's full attention, "is that, when you're old enough to have a wand and learn how to use it, you use your kind of magic to protect and look after Mummy, just as she's always used her kind of magic to protect and look after you. And I'll do the same."

Elliot nodded solemnly in agreement.

"Alright, Charlie … yes," said Lauren quietly, and Charlie turned to her.

"Yes to what, love?" he asked.

She reached to touch his arm. "Yes to everything you asked for on the blanket, lovely. Yes, you can move in with us while we figure things out, like where we want to live. Yes, you can be Elliot's stay-at-home dad and … yes, you can be mine and I'll be yours and we can all be a family," she said.

"Really?" Charlie's eyes were wide and his surprised face made Lauren smile and nod, reassuring him of her words. Angelina gestured to Fred from across the table, indicating that he should lift Elliot onto his own lap, where Elliot could finish eating the sausage that he had summoned and leave Charlie free to take Lauren into his arms and thoroughly kiss her. This time there wasn't a cheer, but a soft 'awwww' and the murmur of chatter as several people turned to each other and began to speculate on what exactly Lauren meant and what was going to happen. Hermione and Fred were the only people who knew of Charlie's intentions as far as his job was concerned, although Bill and Fleur had a good idea of what was going on as well.

Finally breaking away, Charlie tucked Lauren firmly into his side and turned back to face the rest of his family. "If it's not too late in the meal," he said, "I have an announcement of my own."

Everyone put their food or cutlery down and waited for him to continue.

"I'm coming home," he said. "I'm going to hand in my notice at the reserve, and Lauren and Elliot and I are going to be together. As a family. I'm coming home."


	50. Sunday lunch chatting

A plethora of questions followed Lauren's declaration and Charlie's announcement, and it took them most of the main course of their family meal to respond to the ones they could and defer those that they didn't know the answer to themselves. Charlie had already got the rest of the week off, they explained and, because Lauren was worried about the ramifications of Elliot sharing information about the wizarding world with the muggle children at his playgroup, Lauren would pop to speak to the organisers first thing the next morning and explain that Elliot's dad had returned from overseas and so the little boy would be staying at home for a while.

"In truth," she said quietly, watching to ensure that Elliot was still chatting with Fred and not listening to her words, "I don't know whether he'll go back at all, but I don't want to arouse suspicion or have all the other parents heading over to question the speed of my change of heart. So I think that's the best way to go… For this week, anyway. We'll have to wait and see what will happen with Charlie needing to work out a notice period..."

Molly looked between the two of them. "I'm sure there are ways of having a foot in both worlds." She looked apologetic. "I'm just not sure what they are. All I needed to do was to teach mine how to behave when in public, but there are plenty of people around who can help you. Penelope's mum," she indicated the blonde witch, who smiled and nodded, "and we'll introduce you to Minerva as well. I know she'll be able to help you, love."

"We were good at behaving in public, weren't we, Forge?"

All eyes turned to George, knowing that it was his turn next.

"Oh, I'd say we were excellent, Gred!"

"There was nothing excellent about the playstation incident, was there, boys?" Arthur asked, and several of the Weasleys laughed.

Hermione turned to Fred, who was pulling a face. "What did you do?"

He grinned down at her. "It wasn't so much what we did that was the problem…"

"No," continued George. "It was what we said…"

"It doesn't even have any trains!" Molly said, in an imitation of the indignant Weasley twins.

"What kind of station doesn't have trains, Gred?" Arthur continued, before Molly took over again.

"It must be rubbish to be a muggle, Forge!" She rolled her eyes and shook her head, happy that she was able to laugh at the memory now. It hadn't felt so funny at the time, though. "In his loudest voice," she said to Hermione, "and, as we all know, Fred has a VERY loud voice." She waved her arm to illustrate the reach of his words. "Right across the shop they heard him!"

"We had to pretend that they were rehearsing for a play," Bill told Lauren, who was laughing.

"It was either that or tell everyone they were a bit slow," said Charlie, pulling a face and making Elliot laugh.

Hermione turned to Fred. "You do realise," she said, "that your mother is going to be begging the Gods to make our children from the same mould as you and George, just so she can sit back and watch you get your just desserts?"

"Realise it, love? I'm counting on it!" Fred raised his eyebrows at the mention of children and Hermione's eyes gleamed at his meaning. "Bring on the tiny pranking Mineys, that's what I say," he continued, his hand sneaking to her tummy to remind her that he was more than ready for that step, "and then we can really have some fun!"

Hermione shook her head at him, laughing, and then caught Angelina's eyes across the table. She was surprised to see a look in them that she couldn't quite read. George looked a bit wistful as well, and Hermione made a mental note to ensure that nothing interfered with this week's Wednesday date night that the four of them shared. She wanted to find out what was going on for the pair.

"Well as Lauren needs the space to work," Molly was saying to Charlie, wanting to bring them back to the earlier conversation, "you and Elliot are welcome to come here anytime you like. I don't want you thinking you have to roam the streets when Lauren's working!"

"That'd be great, Mum," he said. "I'm sure we'll visit often, thanks."

"You're welcome to come to the shop too," said George. "We've been thinking of making a play area where people can bring tiny folk when they're in Diagon Alley, so you and Elliot could help with that, if you like? You won't be in our way, anyway, if you just want to come and hang out; we love company."

"Oh good idea, Forge," said Fred. "A free design consultant, though we could pay in ice cream, if you like?"

"Oh Gods," said Lauren, with a grin which grew even wider when several people turned in surprise to hear her use the wizarding exclamation. "Well," she laughed, with an exaggerated shrug of her arms, "I'm working on fitting in!" Leaning across Charlie to address Fred, she gently poked him in the chest. "If you fill my men with sugar every day, I'll be sending them straight back to you. I'll swap them for Hermione; she and I can have quiet sewing time and you lot can all bounce around the Alley…" Lauren raised her eyebrows at Fred, who guffawed.

Ginny leaned towards Harry and whispered, "I told you … she's fab. Good work, Charlie."

Harry squeezed her hand. He liked Lauren too; she reminded him a bit of Hermione, but she was funnier and, like Fred, more apt to speak before she thought. He, like several of the others, was feeling relieved that Molly had accepted her into the fold so quickly.

"I've just realised something," said Charlie, more loudly than he would have done had he considered who he was sitting next to. "I'll be moving in with you AND your lovely hair stuff! Do you still have the same kind?" He looked excited.

Lauren laughed. "Of course," she said, "touching his face. I still think of you when I use it…" She turned towards the rest of his family to explain. "I introduced Charlie to 'leave-in' hair conditioner when we were in Romania," she said. "But the first time he used it, he misunderstood. I had to send him back to the shower to wash it out again!"

Several people laughed, but Ginny's voice was louder than all of them. "Merlin's bum cheeks! Was that you?" she exclaimed. "You," she pointed at Lauren in accusation, but her tone was light and it was clear that she was joking, "created a hair product monster, and not only that … you created a hair product monster who created another hair product monster," she pointed at Bill, who looked a bit sheepish, "and my conditioner has never been safe since! I have to hide it when they come home!"

Lauren held up her hands, laughing. "I'm so sorry," she said, turning to look at Charlie and putting her hand on his chest. "From now on, I'll supply him with his own. I can't take responsibility for Bill, though, but we'll keep it in mind when his birthday comes around!"

"Oh Georgie," said Fred, in a higher-pitched voice than usual, causing Hermione to close her eyes and bite her bottom lip in anticipation of what she knew would be coming next. She could see the picture in his mind rather clearly. "Do you think we could create something that would make our hair as soft as Charlie's? For the Wonder Witch line?"

"I don't know Freddie, but we can only try. How much would I love hair like Billiam though. So soft and shiny…" George ran his fingers through his hair as he spoke, leaving it even messier than before.

"So flyaway," Fred tossed his short hair, failing to make it move so deciding to demonstrate by borrowing Hermione's instead, "and bouncy…" Hermione simply raised her eyebrows at him as he flicked her hair into the air, and he returned the gesture. Both of them knew exactly what was going on in the other's mind, despite the twins' joking; they were hoping to get away for a bit after lunch and re-consummate their bond. It was almost exactly three weeks since they had bonded, here in this very garden, and the pull between them was often strong on Sundays.

"So …. Oh, I know," said George excitedly, still focused on hair products. "We could get them to do the adverts for it."

"Oh, I can see it now," Fred continued, swinging his leg so he could stand just behind the bench and adopting a pose with his arm held in front of him, as if about to duel. "Tame your hair, it could read in big sexy letters, and then we could have a picture of Charlie on the bottle in just a pair of shorts with a whip and a dragon in the background."

"You don't TAME dragons," said Charlie, a bit indignantly. "I've told you this many times. You care for them and keep them."

"We know that, Charlie Bear," said Fred with a conciliatory grin, "but that won't work as well in the marketing blurb. OK, how about," he looked at George, paused for effect and then waved his hand to indicate another proposed headline, "break the curse of unruly hair, and then we have a picture of Billiam in his leather gear, wand raised, all sexy and broody?"

Ginny almost spat her butterbeer out at that, and even Charlie laughed.

"Good one, Fred," said Ron.

Fleur looked at her husband, keen to see how he would respond; Bill simply rolled his eyes with a shake of his head and a smile. He was used to the twins and wasn't going to rise to their teasing.

"Or," said Fred, looking at Ron and Harry next, causing the younger wizards to exchange a glance, "we'll get the wizarding world's next crack auror team into play..."

"How are you going to spin that then, oh gurus of marketing?" Harry asked.

George looked at Fred. "Auror-a hairyarlis?" he quipped.

"For hair everywhere?" Fred said, and Hermione's head dropped into her hands.

"Why do I have to see EVERY mental picture you two share?" she asked.

"It was Ginny who brought Merlin's bum cheeks into the conversation, actually!" George pointed out, and Molly groaned, muttering a quick apology to Lauren, who smiled and made a dismissive hand gesture. She wasn't bothered by this at all. She was really enjoying the family banter, and still finding it hard to believe everything that had happened over the past few days.

But Hermione was continuing. "I SO have to go and see Minerva," she said, "and quickly. I can't cope with being in on every inane thought and mental image!"

"Oh my heart," said George, clutching his chest in mock horror at the idea that Hermione wouldn't want to be able to see every image his mind was conjuring.

"Oh your infantile mind," Angelina corrected, poking him in the side.

"Hermione?" She turned to look at Bill. "If you're wanting to be able to control the bond connection, there are a few things that I could teach you, if you like. It will have settled enough after three weeks that some simple curse-breaking techniques should help you to get some peace when you need it. I'd be happy to teach you after lunch."

"Really?" Hermione looked genuinely excited, and Bill chuckled.

"Gods, is it that bad?" He chuckled, and Hermione looked at Fred and put her hand on his face before looking back at his eldest brother.

"I will never regret marrying Fred Granger-Weasley for as long as I shall live, but if you can teach me ways of not seeing every inappropriate mental image that he and Georgie share and ensure that I can have a rest from it sometimes, I shall be so indebted to you that your Christmas stocking will contain a bottle of muggle conditioner for as long as you have hair to condition!"

"Strong words, Hermione," said George.

"And I mean them, oh adored and adorable husband-in-law," she retorted, sending a wave of love to George across the bond to ensure he knew that she wasn't abandoning him. He wouldn't be able to take her completely severing their connection at the moment, she knew. "Just for a break now and again."

"Alright then," Bill said. "If anyone needs Hermione and I after lunch, we'll be in the orchard practising bond control." He turned to Ron and Harry. "If you two would like to join, you're more than welcome … might come in handy in your line of work." They nodded, pleased to be included. Next, Bill turned to Charlie and Lauren. "Maybe you could lend the gruesome twosome a child to entertain, so they won't feel the loss of 'Mione while she's practising."

"I think we can do that," Lauren smiled, looking down at Elliot, who had got down from the bench and was busy under the table.

Excitement over, Molly caught Fred's eye. "I think some of you may need to sit down and calm down a bit," she said, and then, turning to Charlie and Lauren as Fred retook his seat with a bow, "and I think you two need some time to catch up." She was watching Lauren's face as she spoke. She had been whispering with Arthur while Fred and George had been holding court. "We were wondering … maybe you'd like to leave Elliot here for an afternoon and evening once or twice a week. Even overnight? So the two of you could have time together?"

Several of the Weasleys looked at each other, slightly concerned that Molly was going to overstep in a way that Lauren wasn't ready for. But Lauren smiled at Charlie before looking back at Molly. "That would be wonderful. I'd love to have some alone time with Charlie." She put her hand on his side, her thumb stroking the place where she remembered his dragon tattoo had been and Charlie grinned. He loved that she just said what she thought and wanted without worrying about what others thought.

"We'll gladly keep him tonight, if you'd like…" This time, it was Arthur who spoke.

"Do you think he'd be OK with that?" Molly asked.

Lauren looked at her. "We need to ask Elliot that, really… Sweetheart," she touched the little boy to get his attention from the beetle that he was tracking in the grass under the table. "Nanna and Grandad are wondering if you'd like to have a sleepover with them tonight? What do you think about that? Or would you rather come home?"

Elliot shrugged his little arms in a gesture so like the one his mother had made a few minutes before that, across the table, Angelina had to suppress a laugh when she saw it. "I like sleepovers," he said. "Is Graham coming?"

Molly looked confused. "Who's Graham?"

George laughed. "He's a pygmy puff who lives in the flat."

Fred looked at Molly and lifted his eyebrows. "It's not out of the question … and he's pretty low maintenance." He didn't want to put anyone on the spot, but everyone was keen to facilitate Charlie and Lauren to have some alone time.

Molly smiled at Elliot. "If Fred says it's OK and someone will go and get him, then Graham can come and have a sleepover with you. Would you like that?"

"Yes!" shouted Elliot.

Charlie touched his arm. "We could stay til bedtime if you like, and then I could come back and have breakfast with you here in the morning, if that's OK with Nanna?"

Molly nodded. "Of course; don't be silly," she admonished.

Charlie leaned towards Elliot. "Nanna makes GREAT breakfast," he winked. "Never say no if Nanna offers to make you breakfast, that's my advice." Elliot looked at Molly, who was beaming in pleasure. "And then we could pop home and hug Mummy and then go and have some adventures while she does her work. We'll take Graham home to his own bed too."

"OK!" said Elliot. "I still have stories though?"

"Oh," said Fred, from Elliot's other side, his eyes widening in an effort to capture the little boy's attention. "Grandad's stories are nearly as good as Nanna's breakfasts."

Elliot looked at Arthur, who waggled his eyebrows and gave the little boy a wink.

"You don't have to stay til bedtime if you want to kiss daddy at home," Elliot told his mum. Lauren's jaw dropped. She wasn't often lost for words, but on this occasion she could only think of one thing to say.

"Really?" she asked the tiny wizard. "Um … why's that then, lovely?"

Elliot nodded. "I like it here and at Fred and Miney's. And I like having a Daddy. If you kiss him more, like Miney kisses Fred, he'll stay with us."

"Oh…" Lauren couldn't really argue with that, but she was a tiny bit concerned that Elliot felt responsible for the security of her and Charlie's relationship. Before she could say anything else, though, Charlie lifted Elliot back onto his lap and turned him so they were facing each other.

"OK mate, are you listening hard, because this is important?" Elliot nodded. "Even though it took me a while to find you, we are all your family now and we all love you. And Mummy. And I'm going to live with you and Mummy and you will see everyone else lots no matter what else happens." Elliot looked around the table and the assembled Weasleys nodded, clapped and murmured in agreement. "We're all going to keep each other, lovely," he told the little boy. "We're yours forever now. And you're ours." He nuzzled his face into Elliot's chest, making his tousled hair fly up at the little boy, who giggled in response. "Do you understand?"

Elliot nodded. Charlie murmured, "good" and then blew a raspberry into his son's tummy. He leaned towards Elliot's ear, pretending to whisper but actually speaking loud enough for everyone to hear. "I really would like to kiss Mummy more though, if you think she'd like that?"

"Yes, she would. Sometimes she says Charlie when she's asleep. Before you came to Fred and Miney's…"

Lauren looked really surprised at that. She hadn't realised that and wasn't entirely sure what to do with that information. Charlie swallowed. "We'll go home by ourselves then. Later on, once you're settled. Nanna or Grandad can send a message and get us to come back any time you want."

Elliot patted his chest with the flat of his hand. "It's OK. I like it here," he said again.

"You'll like it even more once Uncle Bill and I have keyed you into the wards," Fleur told him kindly. Elliot had not a clue what she meant, but he gazed at her adoringly anyway. "It will make him feel very safe and secure here," she told Lauren. "We'll talk about it this afternoon."

"Alright then," Charlie kissed Elliot once more before turning to smile at Lauren. The look that she was giving Charlie in that moment left him – and every other adult at the table – in absolutely no doubt as to what she had in store for him when they got back home to spend the first night that they had had to themselves since Elliot was conceived.

"I rather like that," Fred said quietly to Hermione, who was still finishing her salad. He suspected – correctly – that she wouldn't necessarily want everyone's attention brought to their conversation.

"What's that, sweetheart?" she asked him, putting her fork down and deciding to leave room for whatever dessert Molly was bound to conjure up before they got down from the table.

Fred slid his arm around her waist. "You and I being Elliot's idea of the poster couple for a stable relationship.

Hermione laughed, and leaned into him. "I'm half minded to ask him why, but I don't think I want to hear the answer in front of everyone."

"We'll find out sometime, I imagine," he said, leaning in for another kiss. "He's not backward at sharing his thoughts!"

"It's this week that it's all going in the papers, you know," she said, in a slightly louder voice, not wanting everyone to think they were being rude by whispering.

"Are you OK with that?" Harry asked.

Hermione considered the question and an unusual level of quiet fell while everyone waited for her answer. "I think so," she nodded, after a couple of moments thought. "I mean, if it will help everyone and not have people forced into something they don't want…"

Charlie leaned towards Lauren and told her that he would explain later. She looked at him, concerned, but he reassured her and she decided to trust him, leaning into his chest for a cuddle while Hermione continued.

"I'm always wary of the press and how they spin things for their own ends and without regard for others' feelings. But," she shrugged, "at the end of the day I have a husband who I love, an amazing family and a week filled with nice things to look forward to, so I'm not going to worry about it."

"Good," said Fred, with a grin. "Because everybody's behind us, and no matter what anyone says, I'm so excited about your first week at the shop and then we get to celebrate the end of it with pizza night!"

"Excellent!" said Molly, raising her wand. "Now, who's got room for dessert?"


	51. Commitments and bonds part 1

Half an hour later, all the dessert had been eaten, the table had been cleared and Molly had shooed everyone except Percy and Penelope down the garden to relax and amuse themselves. The young couple had insisted on helping with the clean-up and, once Percy had whispered to his mother that Penelope needed a break from all the ruckus, Molly had swiftly agreed. It would give them a chance to start discussing wedding plans as well. Arthur had attempted to help, but one look from Molly sent him scurrying off to his shed for an after-lunch nap.

He didn't get to enjoy the company of his eldest son this time, though. Bill strode off into the orchard with Hermione, Ron and Harry, talking to them as he went. He had spoken briefly with Fred and George before they left the garden, letting the twins know to expect to feel some changes in their bond and reassuring Fred that nothing they were doing would affect its nature.

"It's good for each of you to be able to turn it off to focus," he told his younger brother, "but in reality it only damps it down. If you wanted to reach Hermione, you could do that with a single thought, as you probably already do with each other."

The twins nodded in unison. "We know how to do that," they told Bill.

"OK good, well do me a favour and don't try playing with it yet … need to give Hermione a chance to learn the basics."

He had grinned at the salute they gave him before they went to offer to take Elliot so that Charlie and Lauren could have some time to chat. Charlie was feeling much better about his role in Elliot's life since his heart-to-heart with Bill and he happily encouraged the little boy to go and have fun with Fred and George.

A little further away, Ginny, Luna and Angelina were chatting amongst themselves, with Angelina trying to establish what kind of pizzas everybody liked (and instead discovering that very few of the Weasleys had even tried muggle pizza before) and Ginny trying to establish what was going on between Luna and Ron.

"I suspect it'll have to be me that makes a move," the blonde witch told her friends.

"And is that something you're planning to do?" asked Ginny.

"Not really planning," said Luna, "but we'll see. I like things to unfold in their own time, unless the time becomes right and then I don't really see the point in waiting…"

Ginny frowned a little, trying to work that out, while Angelina decided to try to keep the conversation more practical. "Well you're invited to pizza night on Friday, with or without Ron, so we'll see you anytime you like after six. Feel free to floo to the flat or apparate to Diagon Alley and come through the shop; we'll keep the doors unlocked for family and friends til everybody's there."

After a nice long nap, Arthur emerged from his shed and walked over to Molly, who had settled herself into a garden chair from where she was watching Bill and his students. They were huddled together in deep conversation; Harry and Ron giggling at something Hermione was saying while Bill looked on and offered a suggestion here and there. Fred, George and Elliot were oblivious, playing a toy quidditch game in which Fred and George were trying to teach Elliot to aim coloured balls through hoops. Lauren was right, they realised, about his intellect being far superior to his motor skills; the little boy struggled to get the balls anywhere near their target, even when standing still, so they and Charlie had a lot of coaching to do if their nephew was to have a chance of making his house team.

"What are they cooking up?" Arthur asked, nodding at the so-called golden trio as he came to stand behind Molly and put his hands on her shoulders. She took one of Arthur's hands in hers and squeezed it gently as they looked at the group in the orchard.

"I'm not sure," she said, "but it's lovely to see the three of them in cahoots again. That's the only thing I was a bit worried about when Fred and Hermione got together; whether it would affect her friendship with the others."

"It looks good to me," Arthur said, and Molly nodded in agreement. "Look at them giggling together; it's been a long time since they did that."

"Things seem to be going well with our new family members too," Arthur observed, and the two of them turned their heads to look at Charlie and Lauren, who were snuggled up on a beanbag.

"Are you sure, love?" Charlie was saying, as he stroked Lauren's face gently with his thumb. "About you and me, I mean?"

"You sound worried, Charlie. I'm positive … I promise. I just needed time to get my head around it. It wasn't even the magic that was the trigger. Your mum had already pretty much confirmed that."

Charlie raised an eyebrow.

"Well, she told me earlier that the odds of Elliot not being a wizard were thousands to one."

"Oh." He hadn't known that.

"I told you from the off that I'm still massively attracted to you," and he could see the confirmation of that in the sultry look she was giving him, "and I had always hoped you would turn up on my doorstep one day and want to parent Elliot with me. It was just all a shock when it actually happened out of the blue AND came with the news that this whole new world existed, and I needed a bit of time to adjust."

"And you have?"

Lauren cupped his face more firmly and leaned forward to kiss him softly. "Yeah. I had a wonderful chat with Hermione and Angie and your mum this morning." She bit her lip, thinking. "It helped me see things a bit differently. I avoided commitment for so long, because I was afraid of getting hurt again. And then," she poked his chest gently with two fingers, "into my life you marched, leaning on the wall with your beer, being nice to lizards, and that was me gone. Just took me a while to realise it… And accept it, I guess..."

Charlie wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. "I couldn't be happier."

"Me either. And you have a wonderful family," she said. "I'm falling in love with them already."

"I think they're pretty fond of you too." Charlie chuckled. "So now we just need to wait an appropriate amount of time before we can slink away and I can show you how much I appreciate your decision…" His hand cupped her hip and she moaned softly.

"I'm so turned on already," she told him as she leaned forward and kissed him again, teasing his bottom lip with her tongue and making him groan in anticipation. "And not that we can't play unless we're alone, but I'm so excited at the thought of having a night with you without any chance of interruption … especially after all this time…"

Before Charlie could return her kiss, a shadow fell over them. "I'm so sorry to interrupt…" Having returned from his session with Hermione, Harry and Ron, Bill's voice was soft, and he and Fleur, who was with him, both sported apologetic smiles. "It's just that we weren't planning to stay all afternoon, but Dad asked us to help key Lauren and Elliot into the wards, and we need as many people here as possible to key Lauren in."

Lauren looked at Charlie and then back at Bill. "I don't know what that means, except that Charlie used the same word when I felt horrid on the journey here."

The two curse-breakers sat down on the grass and explained the concept of wards to Lauren. "The process of keying you in is different for you and Elliot," Fleur explained. "As he has a magical core, we can key him in like any other magical family member. It's very simple. The most straightforward way of doing that is if Elliot will let Bill take him for a walk around the perimeter wards and Bill can key him in as they go. He won't feel a thing, except he'll have a sense of feeling safe and at home here."

When Bill saw her smile, he interjected. "If you've got a sling or a carrier or something, that would leave my wand arm free to key him in, but I can soon put him on my shoulders if you don't."

"I've got both in the car," she said.

Charlie looked at Lauren. "Are you OK with this; shall I get it?"

"It definitely won't hurt him?" she looked a bit concerned.

"Love," said Charlie, taking her hand in his. "We'll never ask you to agree to anything that will hurt either of you, in any way."

Lauren grinned. "Does that mean we don't have to apparate again?!"

Bill chuckled at that. "Not a fan?" he asked, and Lauren shook her head.

"It does get easier after the first couple of times," Fleur smiled.

"So everyone keeps saying," Lauren smiled. "I am yet to be convinced, but I'm trying to keep an open mind."

"Elliot will think I'm just taking him for a walk," Bill continued.

Lauren nodded. "Go on then. I trust you."

Bill got a funny look in his eyes at that. He reached towards Lauren's hand, but hesitated to touch it. He seemed to want to say something, but clearly wasn't sure how to.

"What is it?" Lauren asked softly. Then a smile crossed her face. "Are you going to give me a big brother talk about being nice to Charlie or else you'll set Fleur on me?"

Bill shook his head. "I just wanted to say a proper welcome, really. I'm so…" he paused, feeling an emotion he couldn't name, "well I'm so bloody glad Hermione found you. I don't really know what it is I want to say, but I can't believe Charlie's coming home, and we can all bring up our kids together. I was afraid he was going to stay in Romania and miss it all."

Charlie was looking down at the grass, poking at daisies with his fingers and not really trusting himself to speak.

"And," Bill continued, "when you've got time, Fleur and I would love to invite you both over and get to know you better."

"That would be lovely, Bill, thank you." Lauren reached over, insisting on pulling him into a hug, catching Fleur's eyes as she did. Fleur smiled. Both women could see that this was borne of Bill and Charlie's deep brotherly love for each other, although neither man quite had the words to say it themselves. Fleur moved towards Charlie and put her arms around him.

"I am so happy for you too," she said, and he kissed her cheek before plucking one of the daisies from the ground and putting it behind her ear with a grin. Then his grin suddenly got wider.

"You know this means I'll be initiating regular family quidditch games though, right? That's one of the few things I can beat Bill at!"

Bill laughed heartily at that.

"What's quidditch?" Lauren asked Fleur. "Is it wizarding football or something?"

Fleur looked at Charlie, who shook his head slightly. "I am going to let Charlie tell you later; it's his thing more than mine," she smiled, and gave Charlie one last squeeze before she let him go.

"Alright," said Lauren. "I'm going to need to make a list!"

Bill laughed, letting Lauren go and getting to his feet. "Come on then, mate," he said to Charlie. "Enough of this sappiness. Let's key your boy in…"

Charlie jumped to his feet as well and he and Bill strode off together towards Lauren's car, veering off to catch Elliot on the way. He seemed keen to have a new adventure and took Bill's hand happily.

"He's doing well," said Fleur, watching Elliot chat to his father and uncle, waving another twig that he had appropriated as a pretend wand.

"He's going to crash soon," Lauren replied. "It's only the sugar that everyone keeps putting in him that's keeping him awake!"

Fleur smiled, and there was a pause while she decided how to explain ward keying to Lauren. "So," she said slowly, "the process with you is a little different, because you do not have a magical core. There are two types of wards and we need to tune them both to recognise your energy. It would be good if we could put the outer wards back up to prevent other non-magical people coming to the house, although of course we can make exceptions for any of your family that you might want to bring sometime…"

"Not really an issue," Lauren said quickly.

"OK, well those are the ones that made you feel bad and, after we have done the spell, you will feel happy and be easily able to pass them. And then there are the inner wards. At the moment, any of us can bring you in past the inner wards, like Charlie did, but Molly wants you to be able to come by yourself, as well. In your…" she broke off, not knowing the word she wanted to say.

"Voiture?" suggested Lauren.

"Oui," Fleur said, a little surprised. "Tu parle Français?"

"Un peu," Lauren replied. "Just school level. The English word is car."

"Thank you. It is not a word we use so much in our world. Molly wishes that you are able to come in the car without Charlie if you want that, so we will do a short piece of magic which brings you into the protection of our family magic and it will allow you the freedom to pass through all our wards. You will be able to drive to mine and Bill's house too, if you like, as they are connected, and we will make it that our wards will recognise you too. It is not far from here."

"Oh," said Lauren. "That would be lovely." She hadn't really thought about where everybody else lived.

But Fleur was set on explaining the magic rather than giving directions. "It is not many families that can do this type of spell," she continued, "as it needs a minimum of nine family members who are magically connected to the wards of the house and garden by blood or marriage. So that is also why we need to do this now, while we are all here. They will make a circle around you and I will be with you to help with the spell. All you will notice is a feeling of love and protection. I promise it is not like apparition at all. You will be very comfortable and you can stand or sit, as you prefer."

Lauren chose to sit and, once Charlie returned, he levitated one of the sofas from the campfire circle for her and Fleur to occupy. Fleur quietly gathered those who were eligible to cast the spell, and Charlie, Molly, Arthur, Percy, Fred, Hermione, George, Ron and Ginny arranged themselves into a circle, linking their hands together with everybody's wands held in their right hands.

"We have nine even without Bill and I, so we can let him keep going, and I can stay here with you." Fleur tipped her head towards the quidditch pitch, around which Bill was striding with his nephew safely bound to his back with a rainbow sling that Elliot had chosen and Molly had helped tie. Lauren was interested that Molly was clearly familiar with this way of carrying babies and also relieved to see Elliot nestled against Bill's back, stroking Bill's ponytail and, she thought, hopefully nodding off. He was way overdue for a nap.

"Molly and Arthur will lead the magic, as they are the heads of the family; they don't need me," Fleur said. "So why don't the rest of you join Lauren and I in the circle and feel the love that everyone has for you too?" With an elegant wave of her arm, she invited Penelope, Harry, Luna and Angelina into the circle. None of them could participate in casting the spell, because they didn't yet have a blood or marriage tie to The Burrow, but she suspected that Lauren might feel more comfortable if everyone was involved, rather than spectating from outside.

Luna sat cross-legged on the grass near Lauren's feet and touched her arm. "It's all very odd, isn't it?" she whispered. "I expect you'll need time to think about it later." Lauren smiled in agreement, and then Luna leaned in closely. "Although you'll probably be too busy with Charlie tonight to have time to think about anything else for a while."

Lauren managed to stop herself snorting and she looked around quickly, hoping that the others hadn't heard. Penelope's eyes were dancing but she didn't seem to know what to say and, next to Luna, Harry was choosing to pretend that he hadn't heard what Luna had said. Ginny caught Lauren's eyes from Harry's other side and they shared a smile together. Lauren was pleased; she hadn't really had a chance to talk much with Charlie's only sister, just because there was so much going on, and she was happy to feel that they did have a connection and maybe a shared sense of humour.

"I'm going to ask Angelina to sit on your other side, if you will, Angie?"

"Of course." Angelina quietly reached for Lauren's hand and squeezed it. Lauren was touched by the gesture from the younger woman and gave her a grateful smile.

"And that way," Fleur continued, "you're surrounded by people you know. We really do want you to feel comfortable and safe. OK," she said, looking around to ensure that everything was as it should be. "Molly and Arthur, over to you."

Lauren tried to listen to the incantation, which began in Latin. She really did. But within moments of it beginning, those in the circle started to walk around the group gathered in the middle and Lauren felt such an enormous wave of happiness and love that she was unable to do anything except tip her head back, hold onto Fleur and Angelina's hands and enjoy it. She had no idea how long it lasted, but it left a residual sense of wellbeing in her body that never left, and that would heighten every time she neared or was at The Burrow.

Lauren wasn't even conscious of the spell having been completed until she slowly became aware that Charlie was kneeling on the ground in front of the sofa, the most enormous smile on his face, as she heard Molly telling Arthur not to be an elf in the background, that she would get anything that was needed. She must be dreaming, Lauren thought; the spell had clearly made her fall asleep. Of course Charlie's dad couldn't be an elf; what a ridiculous idea. Lauren giggled slightly at the thought, though. She gazed in awe at the trees around her, which were a kaleidoscope of colours and patterns, and then tipped her face upwards to better enjoy the sparkles of light that she could see dancing in the sunlight.

Fleur and Angelina both stood, gently tugging her hands to encourage Lauren towards Charlie, who was kneeling on the grass in front of the sofa. He reached for her waist, pulling her forward until she was straddling him. Once she was settled, his arms went around her and he cupped the back of her head with one hand, ensuring she was snuggled into him. Lauren vaguely heard Fleur's voice agreeing with Molly that a cup of tea would be very grounding, and she saw Molly walking towards the house. Next, Lauren thought she heard Fred tell Charlie about the chocolate truffles he had brought her earlier in the day. At a nod from Charlie, Fred gently told Lauren what he was going to do and then took the chocolates from Lauren's dress pocket, holding them open for his brother. Charlie, just as he had done with the rhubarb and custard car sweet early that morning, took one out and carefully popped it between Lauren's lips. A few minutes later, Molly did a similar thing, holding a cup of tea to Lauren's lips and encouraging her to sip it. Lauren was vaguely aware of Molly shooing everyone else away and pointing out that Lauren probably didn't need an audience.

Slowly, while holding onto Charlie and nuzzling her face into his neck as if she were a kitten, Lauren came back to reality. "That was amazing," she told him and Molly after a few minutes. "I feel like a first-year getting stoned for the first time at Fresher's Week."

Charlie had no idea what that meant, and was reminded of the lengths he had had to go to in Romania to keep up with Lauren's muggle references. "Are you OK, sweets?" he asked softly, as Molly put the tea cup on the grass next to Lauren and moved away herself, wanting to give the two of them time to be together.

"I'm wonderful," she slurred. "I feel so loved, so happy. Like I belong here now."

Charlie looked into Lauren's eyes and smiled softly. "Welcome to the Weasley family, lovely."


	52. Commitments and bonds part 2

The tea and chocolate helped Lauren's return to reality, though not as much as Bill and Elliot's arrival back to where she, Charlie and a few of his family members were sprawled around, enjoying the early afternoon sun. She was starting to notice all the different connections between the Weasleys and their extended family; she smiled to see Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Luna giggling together in one corner of the garden, and Charlie told her that they were all of a similar age and had been close at school. He didn't need to explain Fred and George's connection, but he added that Angelina, who was sat beside them with her head pillowed on George's thigh, was in their year at school as well and that they were a couple of years older than the others.

"Not that we aren't all close," he said, "but we're all interconnected in different ways. Ginny and Hermione are quite close, and Penelope and Fleur are fairly pally too. And Bill and I, which you probably realise, and here he comes … he must have felt his ears burning!"

Lauren sat up as Bill neared. "He's almost asleep, I think," Bill whispered as he drew close to them, not quite able to see the tiny wizard over his shoulder. "There's no more tension on my ponytail, anyway," he chuckled, as Charlie held a beanbag still for him so that he could sit down without waking his nephew.

"No, not sleep," said Elliot, who was clearly fighting the urge to rest. He didn't want to miss a moment of time with his new friends.

"I think it might be time for a nap, lovely," Lauren suggested softly. "I've got Mr Rabbit in my bag…" She began to twist her body around, looking for her handbag, until she spotted it under the bench where they had sat for lunch. When she moved as if to get up and fetch it, Charlie touched her arm, stopping her, and quietly summoned it with his wand instead. Lauren watched in awe as the bag steadily flew towards her, with Charlie controlling its descent until it landed just by her side.

"No," Elliot told Lauren again when she fished into her newly arrived bag and brought the fluffy rabbit out. It was clear that the little boy was exhausted and getting grumpy, and she was worried that a temper tantrum would be coming next.

Lauren put Mr Rabbit in her lap and moved towards Bill to help him untie the sling so she could pull Elliot into her arms. "It's hard, lovely, I know," she told him. "It's very exciting in the garden with all these new people and you don't want to have a nap. But if you do, you'll have more energy to play again later." Lauren looked at Charlie, considering what to do. It felt hard to parent Elliot in front of his entire family, especially as she had only just met most of them, and she was hoping for some help from him.

"Don't want nap," Elliot said, firmly, crossing his arms and trying to lean away from her, making it difficult to hold him. If Lauren wasn't already aware of his growing grumpiness from his attitude and body language, the shortening of his sentences was always a clue.

"Oh that's a shame," a voice came from behind him. It was Molly. "Because this is about the time that Bryan takes his nap, and he would have loved to meet you and Mr Rabbit, I'm sure." She spoke slowly, using exaggerated eye movements to emphasise her words and get Elliot's full attention.

"Bryan? MY Bryan?" Charlie asked, with some surprise. Lauren's eyes widened. She had a distant memory of Charlie mentioning Bryan one evening on their favourite Romanian sofa and looked at Charlie, feeling a tingling sensation.

Molly nodded. "He's upstairs, in your old bed. He flew down from the attic and jumped in there yesterday when he heard Elliot was coming." She managed to wink at Lauren without Elliot seeing.

"Who's Bryan?" asked Elliot, his curiosity greater than his desire to maintain his current position.

"He's my cuddly dragon from when I was your age," Charlie replied. "He was my sleeping friend like Mr Rabbit is yours. I didn't know he still lived here!"

"What, you think I'd send him out to work, just because you all grew up and went away? No, they're all still here; waiting for the next generation of Weasleys to cuddle them." Lauren loved seeing the tender look that crossed Molly's face as she said that.

"Can I meet Bryan? Please Nanna?" Elliot asked his grandmother, wide-eyed with excitement at the idea.

Molly seemed to consider this before she answered. "I suppose it depends whether you'd be able to lie down quietly in the bed and cuddle him while he takes a nap. He's very sleepy right now."

"I can do that!" said Elliot. "Can Mr Rabbit come?"

"Of course," Molly replied, holding out her hand. "He's in your dad's old bed … get your rabbit and we'll go and find him." Elliot turned to his mother and finally accepted Mr Rabbit.

"I love you," she told Elliot and he threw his arms around her neck.

"I love you too, mummy." He placed a sloppy kiss on her cheek before turning back to Molly.

"You're very good," Lauren whispered to Molly, as the little boy allowed his grandmother to pick him up. "Thank you."

Molly gave the younger woman a wink as she walked away, Elliot's sleepy little head resting on her shoulder. She was enjoying this. It was nice to be needed again, and she was going to make it her job to help Lauren get as much alone time with Charlie as possible. She was delighted that Elliot had agreed to staying overnight and was doing her best to make him feel safe and at home. Keying him into the wards would have helped with that too, she imagined, making a mental note to ask Bill or Fleur when Elliot had fallen asleep.

Across the garden, a different kind of negotiation was taking place and Charlie laughed to see Fred and George with their heads together before Fred patted George on the back, walked towards the younger group and then led Hermione off into the trees. Almost immediately, the other four got up and crossed the lawn in the opposite direction, walking towards where George and Angelina were sitting.

"Oh good," said Bill, beginning to walk over there as well. "I've been looking forward to this. Now, where's my Fleur?"

"Come on, love," Charlie said to Lauren. "Let's go and join in this chat; it'll be fun."

Smiling, if a tad confused, Lauren followed him to join the group that were now laughing together around the fire pit. "Alright then, who's got the quidditch pitch?" Charlie joked, as they drew near.

Ron groaned. "Not me. I've only got one so far."

"Where's that then?" Bill asked.

"Dad's shed," he replied.

"Oh yuk," said Bill, feigning a look of disgust. "I drink beer in there!"

"It's the bond," said George, who was holding Angelina between his legs and playing with her hair. "Nowhere's sacred. You should know that better than anyone."

Lauren looked at Charlie in confusion. "I know this isn't really my business, but now I'm in the family, am I allowed to ask what on earth you're all talking about?"

Charlie chuckled, kissing her temple before he drew her onto his lap on a garden sofa. "Fremione sex bingo," he grinned.

Lauren laughed. "Oh, well that's MUCH clearer!"

Between them, and amidst much laughter, the group explained the nature of Fred and Hermione's marriage bond and what had happened in the days after they had returned from their honeymoon.

Unsurprisingly, George had been the first person to catch Fred and Hermione semi-publicly scratching the proverbial, frequent and overpowering itch that was their need to be with each other and re-consummate their bond on a very regular basis. "Nice legs, Granger," he had commented as he had entered and then immediately left the WWW stockroom after taking in the sight of his brother lifting his new wife to sit on the workbench, wandlessly banishing her knickers upstairs to the laundry basket and sheathing his hard cock inside her in one smooth move. The two were barely aware of his presence and Hermione's only response as she wound her legs even more tightly around his twin's waist was to moan Fred's name as she arched her back, and George simply shut and warded the door as he went back into the main shop, laughing and shaking his head.

But it was during the previous week's not-so-subtle post Sunday dinner visit to the treehouse in which 'Fremione bingo' was born. Initially the brainchild of George and proposed as a way of providing comic relief and giving him something else to focus on while his best friend and business partner was regularly otherwise occupied, it was a combined game and bet that could only have been created by the younger members of the Weasley family.

Hard negotiations had begun over the post-lunch butterbeers. George's first proposal of a bet, with the winner the person who caught them at it the most often, was rejected out of hand. No-one had any doubt that he would easily win that, not just because of the amount of time that he spent with the couple but because the fact that they shut down the twin bond each time gave him warning and the ability, if he had the time and the inclination, to figure out where they were. Not that he would do that under normal circumstances, but if a bet was at stake then that was a different matter.

Ginny's suggestion that everyone should predict places that Fred and Hermione would choose was debated for a little longer, but fell at the final hurdle when it was pointed out that she, Charlie and George, as Hermione and Fred's main confidantes, might have a better idea of where they would go. Charlie was floo-called into the conversation and it was ultimately agreed that the fairest game was one in which everyone would throw place suggestions, both predictable and implausible, onto a long list and Bill would create a spell to list them randomly on a set of cards. The cards were to be divided evenly between each person who wanted to play, everyone agreed to share all and any knowledge of where the deed had been done, and the winner would be the person who had the most 'winning' cards on Christmas day.

"Are we all in agreement then?" Bill had asked, as George went round the table collecting the twenty galleon stake that all participants were putting into the pot. Bill had covered Charlie's stake and the two eldest Weasleys had made a plan to swap bingo cards and money by owl that week.

"I still can't believe I'm doing this," Ron had muttered, handing over the money. "It's a bit weird…"

"Yes, it is," Harry had agreed. "But it's sort of therapeutic at the same time. If we're focusing on the bet, then we're not thinking so much about what's actually happening."

"That's a good point, actually," Ron had said, and they had moved on to chat about other things.

George and Charlie had no such qualms and they were delighting in explaining the game to Lauren. "You'll have to share my cards, though," Charlie said. "Wouldn't be able to bring a new player in at this point; all the locations have been divvied up! If I win, I'll get you more of those truffles you seem to love," he promised.

"I can't wait til we tell them on Christmas day," said George cheerfully.

"Do you think we have to?" That was Ron again.

"Course we do, Ron," Charlie pulled a 'how can you even ask' face. "It won't be fair otherwise. They might have done it in places that someone has in their hand but that we don't know about."

"Oh, I hadn't thought of that…"

"Good job you have us then, isn't it?" George grinned.

"And," said Bill to Lauren, "we agreed that it's fine to use subtle means to try to persuade them towards the places on your cards, but if they get wind of what we're doing as a result of someone's actions or words, then that person forfeits their stake and has to clear the table after Sunday dinner for the whole of next year."

"Which I still say has given Fleur, Penelope and Angelina an advantage," Ginny joked. "Mainly because those three actually know what subtlety means! We Weasleys have to tread much more carefully there!"

"I've already announced that whoever has my cabin at the sanctuary in their hand is welcome to bribe me to give them a weekend away," Charlie explained to Lauren. "Especially now it'll be empty more often..." Fleur raised her eyebrows at Bill; she held that card, and had already decided that this might be worth a few roast dinners, depending on what Charlie's price would be.

At that, several people got their cards out of their pockets and began asking George and Ginny questions, knowing that the two of them had the best inside knowledge of what was happening with their two newlyweds. The chatter was friendly and Charlie took the time to explain more about Hermione and Fred's story to Lauren, who again expressed her surprise and dismay at the fact that they had felt they had no choice but to wed. She was somewhat reassured when Charlie pointed out the depth of the love they had always had for each other, but it was a tricky one for her to understand.

At that point, Ginny joined in, confirming that they were sickeningly happy and that it really was only a case of speeding up something that would have happened anyway in time. Lauren was really happy to be finally having a proper conversation with the youngest Weasley. Ginny began to tell Lauren stories of the two of them at school, explaining how they had always bantered with each other. It was clear, she told Lauren, that Fred and Hermione had liked each other, even though more people at the time were picking that it would be Hermione and Ron. "But the way Fred's eyes would light up when she told him off," Ginny laughed, "and hers would always get this sparkle when he came near. I'm just so happy for them that they got pushed into things sooner rather than later. They're both a bit stubborn, so I don't know if either of them would have made the first move otherwise. As it was, it took George's intervention to push him…"

Lauren looked at George, who was smiling. "He had denied it for years, but he knew I knew." He shrugged. "We can't hide things like that from each other. Only if we close our connection down, like if we go to the quidditch pitch for a shag." His laugh was loud and infectious.

Fred and Hermione weren't on the quidditch pitch though. As soon as they were out of sight, Fred had taken Hermione's hand, seeking permission through the bond and, as she gave it with a smile, he apparated them into his and George's old bedroom. Fred turned to face his wife, cast a couple of privacy and silencing spells and then led her to his bed with a smile.

"Long-held fantasy of a teenage boy, love, is this OK?"

Hermione reached for his waist with her hands. "Tell me how it goes, and we'll make it come true…"

Fred's face lit up. "Really?"

Hermione laughed and nodded. "It can't be that extreme, surely, if you were a teenager at the time?"

Fred leaned down to kiss her. "It was very tame, love. I would be lying in my bed, and Georgie would be somewhere else, of course. Not that he was often somewhere else when I was in here, but this is a fantasy, you understand? And you would come down from Ginny's room and knock on the door and ask to come in because you couldn't sleep or had a nightmare or something. This was," he hastened to add, with an apologetic expression, "before we all knew what nightmares really were."

Hermione patted him in reassurance. "I know. So you're in bed … go on then…" She pushed him towards his bed. "And you should maybe get naked…"

Fred felt himself begin to get hard from the realisation that she was about to make his favourite teenage fantasy come true. Quickly, he threw off his clothes and dived under the covers.

"I assume I'm in my pyjamas in this fantasy?" Hermione asked, transfiguring her clothes into a skimpy pyjama top and shorts, similar to those that she had worn a few years back. Fred gulped, swore and nodded. "So what happens after I knock?"

He raised his eyebrows. "I notice that you're shivering with cold, and invite you to get into my bed, just to talk but, once you get under the covers with me, and by the way this is the working of my fifteen-year-old mind, so don't expect subtlety!"

Hermione chuckled, leaning against the door. "Just tell me, Fred! I can't make your dream come true if you don't…"

"Well that's about it for plot, love. Once you get in, you can't hide your attraction for me and it moves pretty quickly from there…"

"Alright." With a few waves of her wand, Hermione closed the curtains, made the room dark and stepped outside, closing the door. She added her own privacy spells, aware that Molly was settling Elliot in for a nap just a floor away and gave Fred a couple of minutes to anticipate what was going to happen before she softly knocked on the wooden door.

"Come in," Fred called. Hermione entered the room, slowly and carefully closing the door behind her, giving Fred a good view of her bottom in her sleep shorts. She turned to face him only after she had closed the door, and was surprised at how much the scene turned her on. Fred hadn't been the only one who had harboured this kind of fantasy as a teenager. "Are you OK?" he asked her.

"I thought I heard you up. I can't sleep, Fred," she told him in a whisper. "Not sure why. Just needed some company and I thought you might be awake."

"Come here, love," Fred said, patting his bed. He scooted backwards, towards the wall. Hermione walked over and sat on the bed, her hips not far from his. Fred lifted his hand out from under the covers and touched her arm. "You're freezing!" he exclaimed. "Come on, get in, under the covers. It's too cold out there."

Looking at him from under her eyelashes, Hermione did as he suggested, ensuring that she flashed him a peek of her breasts down her pyjama top as she did so. That would have blown his fifteen-year old mind, she thought to herself. He wrapped his arms around her. "This OK?" he said.

It was more than OK. Hermione was unbelievably turned on. If it was up to her, she would have jumped him then and there. But she wanted him to be able to have this play out in his own way.

"Mmmmm, yes," she said. Then, in a quieter voice, "though actually, I'm feeling a bit … I'm experiencing some strange sensations now I'm next to you, Fred." She tried to look shy, as she imagined she might have done if this had really happened a few years prior.

"Oh really?" His voice was husky with need. "Where are your strange sensations, love? Maybe I could help you feel better?"

"Here," she took his right hand and placed it on her breast. "And between my legs…" she trailed off, looking into his eyes, feigning innocence.

"Oh fuck, love," he said, his hand dipping into her pyjama bottoms to feel for himself. "I'm so turned on … can't wait…"

"Me too … just let me get these off and then fuck me, please," she said. And he did, banishing her shorts to the floor and climbing on top of her, just as he had done in his dreams, with all the enthusiasm and passion that his fifteen-year old self had for Hermione. They moaned together, until Fred was unable to hold back his orgasm and came loudly. Realising that Hermione hadn't got there yet, he reached his hand down between them and rubbed her in soft circles with the pad of his thumb, whispering more of his teenage fantasies into her ear as he did. She wasn't long behind him and, once she was completely spent, they cuddled for a few minutes before dressing and turning their clothes back to normal so that they were decent for their return to the garden. Rather than apparate back and pretend that they had come from the same direction, they simply walked downstairs and out of the front door of The Burrow.

"Oh," Harry said, as he spotted a slightly tousled Hermione walking back across the grass just ahead of Fred, who sported a half-untucked shirt and his usual grin. Quickly, the bingo cards were scooped up into handbags and pockets.

"Not the quidditch pitch, then?" That was Charlie, who looked at George. "Can you pick the location up from the twin bond?" He knew that every room in The Burrow was listed on the cards, along with several cupboards, the attic and the roof. And between them, the Weasleys and their other halves had come up with quite a few possible garden-based locations as well.

"Don't need a bond to know that; look at his smug face! That's the face of someone who's just had their teenage wet dream come true. He took her to our old bedroom." Ginny couldn't hide a smug look of her own; that was one of her locations. Now, if she could just get them to try the pantry, she would be well ahead of Harry. "Hello! Good walk, you two?" George never even tried to keep a straight face; they know full well that the shutting down of the twin bond keyed him in every time and, on this occasion, they had openly negotiated their alone time with him.

"Lovely, thank you," said Hermione, winking at her self-appointed husband-in-law and feeling far less bothered about whether anyone knew of their passion for each other than she might once have been. "I'm thirsty now, after my exercise. Is there any more tea in the pot, or shall I put the kettle on again?"


	53. A night together

During the afternoon, the Weasleys began to say their farewells and wander home. Percy and Penelope went first, as they had promised to spend the evening with Penelope's parents but wanted to pop home for a couple of hours beforehand.

It was clear to all that Lauren and Charlie couldn't wait to get home and be by themselves, but they wanted to make sure that Elliot was awake from his nap and settled before they did, so they had a quiet chat once they saw Molly carrying Elliot back out into the garden, and decided that they would spend another hour or so with the Weasleys and then take their leave.

"Mum and Dad will keep him busy, don't worry," Charlie reassured her, as their son ran over and began to tell them about meeting Bryan before running off to see if Fred and George would like to play with him.

"Indeed we will. Some of the others are staying for tea, Arthur promised to take him around the garden to look for bunnies, and Fred says he'll pop back to the flat with Elliot to get Graham if you're OK with that?" Molly said to Lauren.

"Of course," Lauren smiled. "Elliot loves flooing and apparating; it's me who struggles with apparition! I'll leave the carrier and all his things," she said.

"Well, we could leave the whole car," Charlie said slowly. "Could you bear to apparate with me back to your place?" he asked her. "It'll be about fifteen thousand times faster than driving. We could pick up the car tomorrow, maybe?"

"As long as I can put a humbug in my mouth before we go," Lauren said, wrapping her hand around Charlie's hip in a gesture that she barely seemed to be aware of but that made his heart swell with emotion. "That might offset the nausea a bit … maybe?" She looked at Molly and Ginny, who had walked up to spend time with them while Harry and Ron talked about work.

Charlie leaned his head down towards her ear, tenderly brushing her hair away from her face as he did. "I'll be ready to whisk it away and help you feel better if you need me to," he promised. "But the more times you do it, the easier it'll be."

"He's right," Ginny confirmed. "It doesn't happen a lot, but he's right on this one."

Lauren laughed. "Alright, I'll apparate. Can we send the dragon … messenger to check on Elliot later?"

"If you like," said Molly. "But there's no need. If he's at all unhappy or wants to see you, I'll send a message right away. I promise. And Charlie can whisk you both straight back. There are plenty of beds for you to sleep in here if that becomes easier…"

"Alright then."

Having made a decision, Charlie and Lauren saw no reason to prolong their departure. They went to have a quick chat with Elliot, who was still with Fred and George. The two men were sitting one either side of their nephew, still trying to teach him to say George's actual name – or his own version of it, given that he found some 'G' words hard to say.

"I think we're reached a compromise pronunciation," Fred grinned at Lauren. He turned to Elliot, pointing at his brother. "What's he called?"

"Forgie!" Elliot grinned.

George looked pleased. "It's close enough," he said.

"I think it's rather lovely," Fred smiled, "and we're all good here, by the way, so off you pop and have your wicked way with each other."

Lauren and Charlie both laughed and then leaned down to say goodbye to Elliot. "We'll see you in the morning … I'll be here for breakfast," Charlie promised, as Lauren covered his face with kisses and tickled his ribs, making him laugh.

"Have a lovely time with Nanna and Grandad," she said. "Give Graham a cuddle for me…"

That done, their goodbyes were almost as quick as Fred and Hermione's had been at the end of their wedding day, although perhaps Molly was simply reminded of that because the young couple happened to end up standing in a similar place, with a row of Weasleys and their significant others lining up to hug them and tell them how happy they were to have met Lauren and Elliot and to hear that the three were going to be together.

Amazingly, most of Charlie's brothers refrained from following Fred's example and making lewd comments, for Lauren's sake, although Ginny raised her eyebrows in a suggestive gesture and Bill couldn't resist whispering a quick, "enjoy, mate…" into Charlie's ear as they left. Taking Lauren into his arms, Charlie apparated them to her back garden and stood with his hand on her back as she leaned over, one hand on the garden shed to steady her; still nauseous but not actually sick that time. After a minute or so, she straightened her body, and led Charlie to the back door, fishing into her handbag for the door key as they walked.

"Cup of tea?" she asked, teasingly, as they entered her kitchen, which was warm from the heat of the day. "Or have you had enough?"

Charlie didn't reply verbally. Instead, he took the two steps that closed the gap between them and slid both of his hands around Lauren's waist. "I love you," he whispered into her ear. "I know it's too early and probably not cool to say it, but I don't care. I love you, you gorgeous woman."

"Charlie," Lauren sighed as he applied his lips to her neck and kissed his way up her jawline, moving his hands south as he did. "I'm pretty sure I love you too, you gorgeous man."

"Good," he said. "So we don't need to waste any more time?"

"No." Lauren could feel herself getting wet just from the feel of his large hands on her arse. She loved that he remembered how that was a turn-on for her. "Wait…" She leaned out, not wanting to let go of him but needing to close the door behind them so that she could relax in the knowledge that no-one would walk in on them.

"Do I need to ask about contraception? Not that I really want to…"

"Your mum gave me a potion," Lauren said, taking the brown bottle out of her pocket in between kisses and while running her fingers through his hair. "Apparently I can use it in addition to any muggle thing I'm doing, if I want."

"Oh fuck, sorry love." He had been worried that Molly might try to interfere.

"No, really, it was sweet of her." Lauren returned the favour and fondled Charlie's bum in return as she locked the back door with her other hand.

He raised his eyebrows suggestively and slinked his arm around her waist. "I suppose we do need to consider that I have super strength wizardy seeds that got you pregnant before… Are you though?"

"Using something muggle?" Lauren's voice was low.

"Mmmmm hmmm." He kissed her again.

"Nah," her lips fastened onto his neck and she began to tug on his shirt. Charlie pulled back, wondering if he needed to put the brakes on. He wasn't sure how on earth he was going to do that, but he would just have to figure it out. "No," she said slowly, trying hard to calm herself, "I'm not using any muggle thing, as you all call it, at the moment. There hasn't been any need, since you were the last man I was with…"

"I was?" he asked, somewhat surprised by her answer, and Lauren confirmed his question with a small nod and a sultry look.

"Yeah… I'll take your mum's potion this time. Not 'cause I don't want to grow a bigger family with you one day. I think we could use some time together before we have any more big changes, though…" She took the potion out of her pocket and squeezed a dropperful into her mouth, just as Molly had told her to. Lauren winced and pulled a face at the bitter taste and then walked over to the fridge. Taking a half-finished bottle of white wine out of the door, she reached for a glass, poured an inch or so of the cold liquid into it and then drank it down in one to get rid of the taste of the potion. "Yuk!" she said, and Charlie laughed. "That's minging!" Lauren added another inch of wine to the glass and offered it to him. He didn't take his eyes off her as he downed it.

"I'll open a fresh one in a bit," she promised, putting the glass down and turning back to Charlie, who had placed his hand on her stomach.

"I can't wait to actually see you pregnant next time…" Charlie spread his fingers out, her tummy still soft and stretched from carrying his child. He was still sad that he had missed loving her through her pregnancy, and couldn't wait for the chance to experience another with her. He looked up at her, not quite sure how she would respond to that thought. She had only committed to a relationship with him a few hours ago, after all, but she had said that she was open to them making a bigger family.

Lauren laughed. "I'm not going to promise it'll happen right away even when we do try. It took us a whole summer before, you know? Going by the dates, it was almost certainly our last night when Elliot was conceived. Although that was with contraception, I suppose…" she murmured, her mind too fuzzy with desire to really be able to weigh up the odds.

"I remember that night…" he kissed her neck, feeling a new wave of happiness at this further confirmation of her desire to be with him for the long term. "I wish I had realised how I had felt before you left the next morning though."

"It's done now," Lauren said, turning into his arms and tipping her face towards his lips. "We have to think about the future." She leaned forward and captured his lips, making him moan as she gently licked her wine-drenched tongue into his mouth. A thrill went through her as she did and she whined a little, making Charlie smile.

"Come on," she said, pulling him towards the living room. Slowly, they made their way across the kitchen and into Lauren's living room, kissing and touching each other as they went. That was as far as they got, though. Lauren sat on the sofa, still wearing her unbuttoned dress, though she had kicked off her sandals and the dress had hiked up her legs, allowing Charlie to gaze longingly at her thighs. He had been barefoot since the kitchen and he gently moved Lauren's legs further apart so he could kneel between them.

"Is this the point where I offer to show you some tricks with my wand?"

"Do you say that to all the girls?"

"Just the ones I love," he captured a breast in his hand, gently rubbing his thumb over her hardening nipple. "May I, love? It's been so long…"

Lauren nodded, and Charlie's lips moved back to hers as he started unbuttoning her dress from the top. "They're a different shape these days," she said, teasingly. "From feeding your son. You'll have to learn them all over again…"

Charlie groaned, his eyes drinking in her larger, softer breasts. "Like that's going to be a hardship."

"One request," Lauren whispered. "Well, actually two…"

"What's that?" He spread her dress apart and leaned down to press a long kiss to her nipple through the fabric of her bra. To Lauren's slight surprise, she found that she was even more sensitive to his touch than before. Not that she was complaining.

"No magic during sex," she said. "It was amazing enough without it when we were together before, and that's what I need tonight. Just you and me. Please?"

"Done," he said, as he pulled back to look into her eyes. "And your second request, ma'am?"

Lauren tugged gently at the sleeve of his shirt. "Get this off and show me what those tattoos really look like," she whispered. "I have it on good authority that they actually move…"

"Alright then," said Charlie, removing his wand from its holster and placing it on Lauren's coffee table. Not breaking eye contact, he unbuttoned his shorts and slowly slipped them down his legs, lifting one knee and then the other to take them off. The day seemed to have grown hotter and it was a relief to take them off. Throwing them onto the floor, he began to unbutton his shirt, keeping it carefully closed until he had reached the bottom and released all the buttons.

When he finished, he leaned forward, giving Lauren a deep kiss. She moaned softly into his mouth and began to push his shirt off his shoulders. Charlie laughed at her impatience. "I want to see," she breathed, with a soft smile. In response, Charlie stood up, tugged Lauren into a standing position by her hand and then turned around and sat on the sofa, encouraging Lauren forward and onto his lap so that she was straddling him.

Charlie stripped off his shirt and then laid his arms along the back of the low sofa when he was done so she could see his torso.

"Fuck, Charlie." She reached out with her fingers to stroke him, which made Charlie shudder and caused him to become even harder.

Lauren gazed at the body that she hadn't seen for nearly three years, except in her fantasies and dreams. But on this occasion her eyes were drawn quickly from the natural lines of his body and the definition that came from physical work to the lines of the two dragons that were drawn upon her lover. She had seen them both before, of course; the Welsh green on his right shoulder and the Chinese fireball on his left side. That one had always looked to her as if it was covering a scar that she hadn't wanted to ask about. But before they had been still; unmoving. Now, she saw them as he and other magical folk did; moving pictures that were gently breathing air and smoke and drawing her attention from the wizard between her legs.

"You like them?" he asked, watching her trace her fingers towards the dragon on his shoulder. "She's friendlier," he said, "and the other one is a bit feisty…" Lauren explored both, and allowed her fingers to roam the surrounding areas, drawing the attention of the dragons and a couple of hisses from Charlie, especially as she neared the top of his briefs with her fingers.

"I do," she finally replied, and then, "you like that?" she asked teasingly as she traced the hard outline of his cock through his briefs.

"Mmmm hmmm." He could barely speak for lust, and Lauren tugged impatiently at the garment that was keeping her from him. "Wait," he growled, helping Lauren onto her feet for a moment as he lifted his hips and wriggled the fabric over his cock and down his legs, kicking it off his feet. "You too…" He reached his hands under Lauren's dress, feeling for the inch of cotton fabric at either side of her knickers and tugging them down. Lauren stepped out of them before settling back onto his now naked lap with a groan. She could barely wait, and started to stroke his cock in her small hands as he reached for the hem of her dress. "Can't have this staying on, can we love?"

Lauren shifted slightly, reluctantly letting him go and allowing him to lift the dress up and over her head. It took a couple of tries, and she giggled at his efforts. "Haven't met this one before," he observed with a smile, and Lauren just gazed at him, allowing him to finish and capturing the gasp of delight that came from his lips when her body was uncovered and she sat on his lap in only a white bra. He made short work of that, tossing it onto the table behind her and was in the process of using his thumbs to begin to explore her tummy and stroke the silvery marks that were the evidence of her having borne his child, when Lauren gave a growl of her own, slipping out of his grasp and bringing one of her feet onto the sofa beside his hip.

"Later, Charlie. Need to fuck you now…" Charlie groaned as she took his cock back into her hand and used her new position to manoeuvre herself above him. She stroked the head of his cock against her wet pussy; once, twice, three times, and then she positioned him carefully and lowered herself upon him, taking his cock inside her and shifting her hips forward so that he sank slowly, deeply into her body.

"Oh fuck," Charlie's head fell back against the back of the sofa. And it stayed there for a good few strokes, as Lauren took control of the pace, grinding herself against him, knowing how much this position pleasured them both. She reached her hands out to hold the back of the sofa, either side of Charlie's head and he took her face in his hands, bringing her mouth to his for another long, deep kiss to which she responded with a moan and a slight increase in the rhythm of her hips. They both knew that this first fuck would be quick; they had waited so long, and they needed a purely physical coupling to satisfy their lust. Charlie moved his hands to cup Lauren's bottom, and heard her groan in appreciation as he pressed his fingers into her cheeks.

"Not gonna last," she said.

"Go on, love, come for me."

And she did. Lauren rocked her pelvis forward six or seven more times before she felt the wave starting, and then she rode it; slowly moving herself on Charlie's cock, wanting to prolong the feeling as much as she could. She swore a few times and then, as the wave began to abate, looked into Charlie's eyes and gave a soft laugh of delight.

"My turn?" he asked, and she nodded.

"Whatever you want…"

What Charlie wanted was more of the same, but with him leading the movement, so he took Lauren's bottom back into his hands and brought her close to him. Now it was his hips that were doing most of the work, and Lauren was surprised to feel, after a couple of minutes, that she was on the brink of another orgasm. Charlie beat her to it, by a few thrusts, and they both vocalised their passion, their cheeks pressed together as they reached their peaks and then felt a wave of emotion.

For several minutes, they just sat on the sofa, Lauren's cheek on Charlie's shoulder; her fingers playing with the leather cord that held his hair back from his face. As she went to pull back slightly, needing to use the loo, she realised that her tummy had stuck to his in the heat of the summer evening and she responded with a soft "eeeew", giggling as she gently unplastered her skin from his and looked into his eyes. "Oh Charlie," she sighed, seeing the tears falling from them. He gave a smile, but it was clear that he was completely overcome by the moment.

"I'm just so happy to have found you again, draga mea, and to know we're going to be together. I spent so long wishing I could find you, love, and it still feels like a dream…" His voice broke, and Lauren kissed his cheek. This time it was she who was holding his face in her hands, and she peppered it with kisses, reassuring him just as she had done earlier with their son.

"You've found me now, Charlie Weasley, and I'm not a dream, so you just let it all out, gorgeous," she told him.

"I'm OK," he said. "What was it you used to say about tears being a form of energy?"

Lauren smiled; she remembered saying that earlier in the day as well, when she was talking to his mum, Angelina and Hermione. "That's pretty much it; they're certainly nothing to be ashamed of. I desperately need a wee, lovely; can I leave you for a couple of minutes?"

He gave a nod. "Of course; I'm good." He looked down at his lap and then gave her a grin. "Just a bit sticky!"

"Stay right there, I'll get you a washcloth," Lauren told him, kissing his nose before peeling herself off him and slipping off to the bathroom. Charlie watched her go, still not quite believing his luck in having found the woman who he had missed so much.

Even as Lauren sat on the loo, she was fishing a couple of washcloths out of the wicker storage chest in which she kept her towels. She ran one under the tap and then wiped over her face, under her arms, over her breasts and then between her legs. The cool, wet cloth felt heavenly in the summer heat. She rinsed it out and used it one more time, deciding not to dry herself and instead to let the air on her wet skin cool her down further. Flushing the loo, she washed her hands, running the cold tap over the inside of her wrists to cool her blood. Next, she took the other clean washcloth and made it wet in the same way, wringing it out a bit so it didn't drip over the floor on her way back to the living room.

"Here you go, lovely," she told Charlie as she handed it to him along with a small fluffy towel. "Might help cool you down as well…"

"You're a lifesaver," he replied as he used it on his face and neck with a groan of satisfaction before washing himself in almost the same sequence that Lauren had. Not that she noticed; she had bent over to put her cotton dress back on and then headed for the fridge, to open the wine that she had promised Charlie.

"Do you fancy sitting outside?" she called through the doorway, showing him two glasses of rose wine, one of which also contained a couple of ice cubes. When he looked at it and grinned at her, she laughed. "Yes, I know, but I'm so hot, and I'll drink it in one and get tipsy too quickly otherwise!"

"I might like that, though…" he said, deciding he would prefer his without ice, and drew his briefs back over his hips before following her into the kitchen.

"You hungry?" she asked.

"After one of mum's lunches?" he raised an eyebrow. "Not really, but I might need something to sustain me if you're going to use my body like that all night…"

Lauren pulled a wooden stepping stool towards her and stood on it to reach into a cupboard. She emerged with a bag of tortilla chips and a jar of salsa in her hand. Stepping down again, she reached into the fridge for olives, and she somehow managed to balance all of them and her wine glass in her hands while directing Charlie to pick up his own wine and open the door. "Do you want to bring the bottle?" he asked.

"It'll stay nice and cold in the fridge, though," Lauren said. She couldn't bear warm wine. "I don't have an ice bucket…"

"Or," Charlie said slowly, watching for her reaction, "I could put a cooling charm on it and it would stay cold out here and we wouldn't have to get up when we need a top up…"

"Go on then," she smiled, rolling her eyes teasingly and nodding him towards the fridge and exiting the kitchen to sit in the cooler surrounds of her tiny back garden. "I need an outdoor sofa for evenings like this," she said, putting the food down on her wooden picnic table and moving to sit on one of the benches. "Especially if I have another adult to sit out and chat with."

"Or," Charlie said again, "you could let your friendly neighbourhood wizard conjure something cosy that we could cuddle on while enjoying each other's company?"

"Really?"

"Really. I'll be two ticks while I get my wand…"

When he came back out, Lauren watched, amazed, as Charlie quickly dried his washcloth and then transfigured it into a soft purple sofa which looked very similar to the one on which they used to sit together on the terrace bar in Romania. He then transfigured a fallen twig into a low table on which he set the glasses, wine and food. He sat down to test his creation, putting his arm out and pulling Lauren into a cuddle when she sat down next to him. They clinked glasses, and then kissed once more. "I'm giving you twenty minutes to snack and drink before I jump you again," she warned, and Charlie gave another low groan, feeling his cock twitch again in anticipation.

"Let me fortify myself then," he chuckled, taking another sip of his wine. They cuddled and shared food and wine for a few minutes, feeding each other chips, salsa and olives before he spoke again. "Is this our happy ending?" Charlie asked, moving his body slightly to get more comfortable.

"I think so," Lauren said. "I'm done with playing the field, and I quite like the adventure of working on a relationship now."

"Does that mean I get to keep you for the next hundred years or so?"

Lauren laughed. "I don't know that I'll live that long, Charlie!"

"You might well do now," he told her, in a very matter of fact way. "Witches and wizards live longer than non-magical people, and Hermione told me that muggles who live with magical partners have much longer lives than they would have had otherwise. She thinks it's a combination of having access to magical medicine rather than just the muggle kind, and the fact that being around magic adds years to your life…"

Lauren moved her head and looked into his eyes. "Are you making this up so that you can use your wand with impunity and I can't complain?"

Charlie laughed loudly, hugging her closer. "Nooooo," he said, "it's true, I promise! Ask 'Mione if you don't believe me!"

"I will, you know," she said, a smile on her face too. "Just in case! AND I'll ask your mum."

The possibility of a few more decades with Charlie Weasley sounded good though. Three hours later, after they had kissed and make love twice more – once on the purple sofa and then, as the evening grew cooler, on Lauren's bed – they had settled down for the night.

Lauren tugged the summer duvet further up her body, turning slightly so that both she and Charlie were comfortable enough to sleep. She smiled as he curled up next to her in just the way she remembered, wanting to ensure that he was touching her before they slept. Stroking his chest with her thumb while watching the Chinese fireball tattoo gently nudge its head against her finger, Lauren heard Charlie's breathing slowing as he fell asleep. That was a sound that she could happily spend many years listening to, she thought.

It was hard to believe that it was only a week since she had received Hermione's first email, and she lay awake for a good while as her mind ran through everything that had happened since, marvelling at the new people who had come into her life along with the man who hadn't left her thoughts since she had walked away from him with a cheeky wave nearly three years ago.

Her thoughts turned to the following morning. She wanted to go with Charlie to The Burrow to have breakfast and see Elliot before his first day in Charlie's care, although Lauren was going to suggest that she drive the car back alone and let Charlie apparate or floo with Elliot to their next adventure. That would give her some more thinking time and, if Charlie was happy to keep Elliot busy for most of the day, she could still get through her work emails and perhaps get ahead enough to buy herself some extra time to spend with the two of them later in the week.

She smiled as she thought of everything she wanted to introduce Charlie to; films, the park, the petting zoo … he didn't seem to know about any of these things. And her smile became deeper as she remembered his whispered promises, on the transfigured beanbag and amidst their lovemaking, to take her back to Romania, to magical restaurants and even – although she was confident that he was joking on this one – on a flight on a broom. Lauren liked the sound of Angie's dad's restaurant, though, and they had Friday's pizza night at Hermione and Fred's flat to look forward to as well.

And after that? Lauren didn't know. She had arrived home with plenty of promises and invitations to spend time with Charlie's family, and she smiled into his chest as she realised that her social life amidst a family of Weasley proportions was going to be busier than it had been in years. Catching herself, she decided that she needed to stop thinking and try to sleep. If she was going to spend her life with Charlie Weasley as well as his tiny son and any others they might make together in the future, she was going to need some rest.


	54. Hermione's first morning

Fred woke up early on the Monday morning, and his first action was to scoop a still-sleeping Hermione into his arms for a cuddle. "You ready for your week, love?" he asked, and she murmured softly as she nestled closer to him.

"I will be when I've made a list," she replied slowly after a moment or two, eliciting a soft chuckle from Fred. "That's my top priority … once I have a desk to sit at … then I'll feel more organised."

"I love you," he told her, using his hand to tilt her face upwards so he could kiss her. "I love that you make lists and plans and schedules."

"Mmmmmm," she said, still not fully awake. "That's good … that's what I'm going to do for the shop," she smiled.

Before she could lean in and return Fred's slow, tender kiss, they heard a loud bang which brought her fully awake. "Fuck!" came George's voice from the hallway.

"Bloody hell …. he's up early for a Monday morning … that's not normal," said Fred.

"Are you OK, George?" Hermione called, scrambling out of bed and pulling on her dressing gown. She opened the door and went out into the hallway.

"He's not very happy, no," muttered Fred, sensing his twin's mood through their bond as he got up himself, but Hermione didn't hear him.

"Oh bother, I'm really sorry," she said, when she saw what had happened. George appeared to have walked into the box of things that she had placed in the flat's entrance hall, ready to be taken down to the shop when the boys lifted the wards. She had deliberately put it in front of the main front door to the flat, which was barely ever used, so as not to block the door that led to the shop.

"What the fuck have you got in there, 'Mione?" George asked, standing on one leg and massaging the toes of the other foot. "The Hogwarts Express? It's heavy enough."

"Just some books and a few things to make my desk nice," she said quietly. "I shrunk the books but I didn't put a weight-reducing charm on yet. I'm really sorry…"

"S'OK," he grumbled.

"Georgie's not a morning wizard, as you've probably learned by now," Fred said, using his wand to charm the box and apply a featherweight spell. "What were you doing there anyway?" he asked his brother.

"Trying to answer the bloody door. Didn't you hear the bell?"

Hermione and Fred shook their heads, and then Hermione blushed a little as she turned to Fred. "We put a silencing spell on our room last night," she reminded him.

Fred gave her a suggestive wink and then strode forward, moved the box and opened the door. There was nobody there, but a tall pink package had been left on the doorstep. He bent down and peered closely at the tag, causing Hermione to remember that she had not yet talked to Molly about his eyesight, and then picked up the pink parcel with both hands. "It's for you," he told Hermione. "Goodness knows why it wasn't shrunk and sent by owl. It's quite light. Come on, in we go; we'll make Georgie some coffee and breakfast and see if we can cheer him up a bit."

Putting the box under one arm so he could steer his brother with the other, Fred got them to the living room, whereupon he put the box on the table and George on the sofa. Hermione sat down at the other end of the sofa. "I'll make you coffee," Fred reassured George with a soft pat on the shoulder, and went into the kitchen.

Three minutes later, he was back, levitating a large mug for George and two cups of tea for himself and Hermione. He laughed when he entered the living room. Hermione hadn't had a chance to open her parcel because George had immediately tipped over on the sofa and was fast asleep again with his head in Hermione's lap. She was gently stroking his hair. "Should we levitate him back to bed?" she asked softly.

"Nah, he'll never get to work then," Fred said. "This works better…" He used his wand to make George's coffee hover in the air a few inches under his nose and, sure enough, after a minute or so, his brother began to stir.

"Ngggghhhhmmmm," said George, reaching for the mug. Hermione helped him get his fingers around it and, after a few sips, he lifted his head and opened his eyes before dropping back onto Hermione's lap. "You're comfy," he told her.

"Thank you," she replied. "But I'd like to open my parcel and have a shower … is that possible?"

George made another unintelligible sound as he lifted his head once more. Hermione pulled a large cushion forward and placed it where she had been sitting as she slid out from under him and, this time, the noise emanating from George was more appreciative as he laid his head on it.

"Flowers!" she exclaimed, as she opened the box. "From Ginny and Harry!" She read the card to herself and then turned to Fred, who was re-entering the room with a plateful of toasted crumpets and a series of pots of jam and preserves trailing behind him.

"Didn't know what you liked on them," he said, by way of explanation for the array of jam and honey before he turned to admire the flowers. "Are they for your first day?" he asked, while adding a blob of strawberry jam onto a crumpet and then passing it to George.

"Yes," she said, a happy look on her face. "For my desk!"

"Georgie and I got you welcome presents too, you know? They're downstairs. And no pranking, like we promised. That's our other present. We're going to be on our best behaviour all day," Fred confirmed.

"Well that's wonderful … thank you," Hermione said, through a mouthful of crumpet and honey.

Half an hour later, Fred and Hermione had shared a berry-scented shower in order to save time and were dressed and ready for work. George, by then fortified by his coffee, took great satisfaction in pointing out that sharing wasn't a particularly effective way of saving time if you took three times as long as you would have taken to shower separately because you stopped to shag halfway through, but they were unrepentant. "We'll see you down there, Georgie," Fred called to his brother, who was still getting dressed, as he picked up Hermione's flowers while she levitated her box.

"Wait, I'm coming!" George called, not wanting to miss out on giving Hermione the grand tour of her desk. He ran out of his bedroom holding his socks and shoes in one hand and waving his wand at his unbrushed hair with the other.

"OK," Hermione said, stopping Fred until George was ready. "I suppose it would be wrong to go in with just one of you." Three minutes later, George was ready and the men offered her an arm each as they headed to the door. Unable to get through the door three abreast, she instead took each of their hands in one of hers and walked down the stairs as if they were a crocodile of small children crossing the road.

With it being July, the store was lit by the sun streaming through the windows that looked onto Diagon Alley, but it still brightened considerably when Fred tapped the main switch at the top of the stairs. His action not only switched on the lights but also set off the moving elements of the store's illumination and display. Hermione stopped and looked around in wonder; she never grew tired of watching the magic that the twins had created, and there was always something new that she hadn't previously spotted.

"Welcome to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes," they said in unison. "And," George added, "we're very, very happy that you've come to work with us."

"But we know it's not necessarily forever," said Fred, "and we'll never mind when you tell us you're ready to move on. We only want happy people here, love."

"And that means we need to show you the most important room first," George popped up, pulling Hermione's hand to a door that she hadn't previously noticed.

"Oh, the loo?" she laughed, as they walked into an area that was hidden behind a screen and which looked like a cloakroom.

"Yes, but not just that," said Fred. "This is the staff happiness area. Augeo," he said, while spiralling his wand, and the room seemed to expand in size.

"Staff loo," indicated George, showing her a bathroom which had a shower as well as a loo and which looked more like one you would find in a home than a shop, "and sitting room," he pointed to an area with a fridge and a few soft chairs before sweeping his arm further to his right, indicating a day bed, "and the Verity Brown relaxation arena…"

"Named for our favourite shop manager," Fred continued, "but actually for anyone who needs a break from the noise. If you lay on the bed and tap the daydream charm with your wand, it closes off the area from all external noise and makes it dark for twenty minutes."

"Daydreams optional," George grinned. "The rest of us can still get to the loo and the fridge, but we only disturb anyone in here in a real emergency."

"And no pranking while I'm in there," came a voice from the doorway, and all three of them turned round to greet Lee, who was closely followed by Verity herself.

"Morning bosses," she said, and the next few minutes were full of greetings and welcomes for Hermione, whose arrival had been much anticipated by both Verity and Lee.

"We won't be open for another twenty minutes," Fred said, "so let's have a quick staff meeting. Does anyone need breakfast or a drink?" he asked, but both Lee and Verity shook their heads.

"One policy that's very important to us," George explained to Hermione as they all settled into chairs, "is that we treat all staff very well, especially when it comes to replenishing their reserves. We keep the fridge fully stocked, we always buy lunch and, if there's ever a need to work late, we shout dinner and beers."

"It's what we'd want if we had jobs," Fred said, "and we reckon that, if we treat those who work for us well, they'll work hard for our business and want to stay with us."

Hermione nodded. "That sounds like a great policy."

"It works for us," said Verity. "Lee came here straight from Hogwarts, so he doesn't know any different, but I've had other jobs and this is the first one that I can't imagine wanting to leave. Especially now I've got my chilling zone!" she smiled.

"It looked great," exclaimed Hermione. "Do you mind if I try it sometime?"

"Of course not," Verity said. Then she leaned in, smiling. "Though I like to have dibs on it for my Saturday lunch break and in the last week before Hogwarts starts back!"

"Fair enough," laughed Hermione, holding up her palms. "I'll steer clear at those times!"

"Not that any of us know how it'll go this year, what with everything…" George trailed off. He didn't need to finish the sentence, because they all understood. Hogwarts was being rebuilt, and they had all helped in that process. Their beloved school would again welcome students in September, but it wasn't yet clear how many students would be going back after their studies had been interrupted by the war.

"But we're all assuming that it'll be busy," Lee added, looking between Fred and George. "Like you've both always said, people need a reason to laugh more now and Vee and I are seeing an uptick in customer numbers, so we don't want to be unprepared."

Hermione nodded. She needed to know this stuff, and she made a mental note to talk to Verity and Lee and get their thoughts.

"We're going to have a party on September second this year," Fred told Hermione. "We'll all be too knackered on the first, just after they've all gone, but on the second, we're going to take these two out for drinks to celebrate the end of the rush. You too, of course."

"That sounds great. I'm hoping that I can help with some of that as well. Not by muscling in on your jobs," Hermione added quickly, "but with some of the planning and stock control."

"Just so we're all on the same page," Fred said, "let's give Hermione a summary of last weeks' conversation."

"That's a good idea," George said.

"Our plan," Fred continued, "is that Verity and Lee will be the general managers and be solely responsible for running this shop."

George took over. "They already do many of the day-to-day things, like cashing up, and now we're rebuilding, they're going to do more of the hiring and firing, all that stuff. We like to visit the shop floor and engage with customers, but we don't want to be rostered onto the shop floor; we want to create and test and make and do the more innovative things that we love to do."

"Sounds very sensible," Hermione said, nodding.

"We have a few other people who will help out for a few hours at the till when it's busy," Fred interjected, "or with making some of the products."

"Yeah," said George. "People we can trust, like Ange, when she has days off. And Ron does a few hours when his training allows; he likes the extra money."

"Meant to say to you, Georgie, that it might be worth mentioning to Charlie that we have hours if he would like something to do … he's great at transfiguration..."

George looked eager. "Good idea, Freddie. And," he continued his earlier train of thought, "we don't want to be tied to always working weekends, even though Saturday is our busiest day. We're doing that a bit at the moment, as you know, while we get things straight, and especially when things get crazy, like it did this Saturday, but we need the shop to work independently of us. And in the long term, if we decide to expand and open other branches, one of these guys," he indicated Lee and Verity, "can stay here, and one can travel and oversee the setup and training of staff in the new shop."

"Unless we are affected by the marriage law threat that everyone's talking about in relation to you two being all over this morning's Prophet," said Verity, pulling a face. "Which you probably know more about than me…"

"Oh Merlin," Fred exclaimed. "I had completely forgotten…"

Lee reached into his rucksack and handed Fred a rolled-up copy of the newspaper. "Keep it, mate," he said. "Got it for you when I saw the cover."

There, on the front, were Fred and Hermione, waving to the camera in their wedding finery and clearly finding it hard to keep their eyes and hands off each other. Another photo showed the two coming down the treehouse rope while gazing into each other's eyes, and they looked at each other as they remembered that moment.

"Yes, it's all very romantic," said Verity, though she smiled at their closeness before she became serious again, "but there are rumours flying around the Alley that the Ministry is leading up to an announcement about a marriage law."

Fred and Hermione looked at each other again. They hadn't anticipated this. They knew exactly what Kingsley had planned, but it hadn't occurred to them that others might ask them, and it hadn't occurred to them to ask Kingsley how they should respond.

"I can honestly say," said Hermione, thinking quickly, "that I am not aware of any plan for a marriage law at the moment. I do know that the Ministry are keen to encourage marriage and babies, to help increase the population after the war, and that's why we agreed to let them run our story." She looked at Lee, who was shifting closer to Verity.

"See?" he said, raising his eyebrows at her and slinking an arm around the dark-haired witch. "Told you you should let me take you out after work one night… Even the Ministry would approve…"

Verity rolled her eyes at him. "And risk ruining a brilliant business relationship and the best job I've ever had? You're not THAT sexy, Jordan!"

Lee pulled a sad face as he looked at Hermione. "Well," she consoled him, with a look in Verity's direction to try and gauge the witch's true feelings, "she didn't say you weren't at all sexy, Lee … she said you weren't sexy enough. Maybe you just need to up your game…"

"Hermione!" Verity exclaimed, laughing. "You need to be on my side, girl, and don't encourage him!"

"Forsooth!" Lee replied, diving to his knees in front of Hermione, dramatically thrusting the back of his hand to his forehead and pretending to swoon as he grabbed for Hermione's hand. "You do so need to help me, oh clever witch, for else how will I win the fair lady's heart?"

It didn't escape Hermione's attention that, while Fred was grinning madly at their antics, George seemed less engaged. She touched his knee and whispered to ask if he was OK. He nodded. "Just need another coffee," he said, with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"In seriousness," Lee said, tapping the paper as he scrambled back into his chair, "it occurred to Verity and I that we might be busier than usual today with people coming in to try and catch a glimpse of the newlyweds…"

"That's a good point," George said, re-entering the conversation. "But we're planning to be out back this morning, so we'll see how it goes for the first hour or two, if you two can manage?"

"Course we can, boss," said Verity.

"I'll disillusion your ear if you like," George offered, looking in Fred's direction, "and we can take turns being me."

"Or," Fred replied, "you could put on the nice ear that I made you and we could both be me and use it as an opportunity to get more business!"

"Hmmm, that's an idea…" George looked thoughtful. "Freddie and I don't really have a normal working pattern at the moment," he said, returning to the previous conversation and addressing Hermione, "as you might have noticed."

"But we're hoping," said Fred, "that once you've joined us, we can get back to a more normal working week, which is what we were doing before the war escalated…"

"…although we'll always need a bit of flexibility…" George continued.

"Yes," Fred took over again. "Like when we're inventing or restocking and need to pop down in the evening to add something to a potion, but the flip side of that is that we can take time off at other times when we want too."

They both grinned at her, proud of what they had come up with. They had worked hard before the war to create a way of working that suited them and their employees, and were happy to tell Hermione all about it.

She nodded, and reached for each of them. "This all sounds really great, guys. I'm really confident I can help make it run even more smoothly."

"Well then," George finished, "shall we escort you to your desk?"

After another quick chat with Verity and Lee, during which they did a quick assessment of what the twins needed to stock up on that morning, Fred and George led Hermione out of the staff area and took her briefly up the spiral staircase in the centre of the shop to point out the main zones of the store before leading her to the back of the shop. "This is all totally private and warded to customers," said Fred. "Family allowed, of course, and I know you've been here before, but we'll get Bill to key you into the wards so that you can bring guests of your own and use the emergency cupboard too."

"Cupboard?" she asked, and they grinned.

"Emergency apparition point," they said in unison.

"No-one knows about it except us and Bill," Fred said. "It's how George got home when we had the wards up and the floo closed when Lauren and Charlie were meeting here."

Hermione's mouth made an 'O'. That hadn't occurred to her. She felt a rush of pleasure at the cleverness of her husband and his twin, not to mention the fact that they could still surprise and impress her.

"We'll sort that later in the week," George promised. "Office. I'm excited to show you your office; we spent ages making it nice for you."

When she reached the office that the boys shared, Hermione was touched to see that they had given her an entire corner to call her own. Their own desks were angled so that they could easily see and talk to each other, and both of them had a large space, although much of it was covered with notes, products and experiments. Her desk was the same size as theirs but, in accordance with her request, she had a space of her own over the other side of the room which they had promised not to encroach upon. Gasping in delight, she looked at her patch of ceiling, which they had charmed to look like the sky, with soft clouds, and a window through which she could see a beautiful garden. Hermione frowned, not understanding how this could be.

"It looks onto the back of Diagon Alley," Fred explained with a shrug. "Just stairs and bins and stuff … not very salubrious. So we made you that. You can use this," he pointed to a dial, "and we've preset some options, though you can make your own too. It uses the same sort of magic as our famous patented daydream charms."

Hermione turned the dial slowly. The garden shifted to show a flowing river, a depiction of Paris at night and then a meadow of wild flowers. She turned it again to see a rainforest, complete with pattering rain, and then the Devon beach on which she and Fred had spent their honeymoon.

"Oooooh," she said, tipping her head to one side and enjoying the sound of the waves, "I like this one. We'll have this today, I think. Oh, and that's a point…" She opened her box and pulled out a muggle notepad and pen. "Date night Wednesday," she said. "Pizza night Friday. Seamus phone. Molly glasses. I've got so much going on that I'm making a list so I don't forget anything," she explained, writing a few more things down before putting her pen on the desk.

"Or," said George, presenting her with a long box, which she quickly opened, "You could use this. I promised you one when Mum was making your wedding list, remember?"

"I do! Thank you!" Hermione exclaimed, gleefully pulling her very own list-making quill out of its box and setting it to work.

Turning around to see the rest of her work space, Hermione ran her fingers over the wood of the desk and then smiled when she saw three framed photos that Fred and George had put on it. There was one of her and Fred on their wedding day, one of herself, Ron and Harry and one of the entire Weasley family. The last one had been taken when she was a fourth year, Hermione thought. She had never noticed but, if you watched Fred, you could see him sneaking a tiny glance at Hermione before his attention swung back to George. She loved it and reached out to touch the frame. "I got those from Mum," Fred said proudly.

George gave her a gift-wrapped parcel, just as proudly. "And I made this for you. It's for your wall," he said.

Hermione took it from him with a quiet thank you, held it to her ear and tentatively shook it.

"It's not a prank, I promise," he said, and he looked – and felt – sincere enough that she decided to throw caution to the wind and tear the paper off in just a couple of movements. Her heart swelled as she saw the sign that he had made her, out of a bit of wood "Strictly no testing on firsties," she read, using her finger to trace the words that he had carved on with his wand. Hermione laughed loudly, pulling him towards her for a heartfelt hug. She loved the sheer volume of history that she had with these two men.

"And there's my whiteboard," George said, pointing to the space between his desk and Hermione's. "I bought it because I thought it would help us plan, but," he grinned, sheepishly, "I don't really know what to do with it, so I wondered if you might help?"

"I'd love to," Hermione said. "I'll help you figure out how to make a plan, don't worry."

"I put it between my desk and yours because it'll be us that uses it. Fred's crap at writing things down; he just remembers it all in his head. We only have a recipe book because of me!" He rolled his eyes.

Fred walked over to his own desk while they were talking and sat on the edge of it. He had a chair but, Hermione would come to learn, rarely used it. He preferred to sit on his desk or to walk around while he thought. Hermione was the opposite; she usually needed to sit down in order to be able to think properly. She settled into the office chair that they had provided for her and then reached for the lever that would adjust it. Notching it a bit lower, she then spun it around a couple of times before running her fingers over her desk again and then levitating her flowers onto the corner of her desk.

"This is bloody marvellous," she announced. "I'm going to like it here. Now, where shall we start?"

"You keep going with your list," said Fred. "We can show you the rest of the back of the shop later, but Georgie and I need to work on our new recipe," he said, as they both jumped up and headed out of the office. Hermione barely noticed; she was too busy writing more things down, delighted with her new surroundings and even happier that she finally had time to get herself organised.

Twenty minutes later, she had not only completed her list but had taken the original, unordered list and turned it into several lists. Hermione smiled as she looked at them, feeling proud of her organisational skills and much better about her ability to handle the coming weeks. In fact, she decided, such a feat called for a celebratory cup of herbal tea. As she reached for her mug, though, a horrible sensation ripped through her. She knew immediately that George was hurt. Reassuring them both through the bond that she was on her way to help, Hermione reached for her wand and began to run towards the workroom.


	55. A surprise visit

Hermione arrived in the workroom to find George with a burned hand which looked to be under a hastily applied healing and cooling charm and Fred with a long arm around his twin, leading him into the next room.

"Come on, mate," he said reassuringly. "It'll only take a tick. You too, love," he said to Hermione, holding out the fingers of the hand that wasn't around George's shoulder.

Hermione skipped to catch up, took Fred's hand and followed the two men. She barely had time to wonder at the shelves of protective clothing and what looked like magical firework-based weaponry products that were clearly meant for the Ministry before Fred pulled her into a tall wardrobe at the back of the room.

"Hold on, love," he said. "Georgie now, explanations later."

Hermione murmured, "of course," and put her own arm around George as well. She could feel that his pain had reduced, but still had an irresistible urge to comfort her husband's twin.

"I'm alright, love," he said, but whatever would have followed that was lost in the whoosh of magical transport as the cupboard took them directly to St Mungos.

Except, Hermione realised as they stepped out of the cupboard again, they weren't in St Mungo's at all. They were in the infirmary at Hogwarts, and Madam Pomfrey was bustling towards them, wand in hand and all business.

"What is it this time, boys?" she asked, not unkindly.

"Potion burn, left hand," said Fred. "I applied the emergency healing and cooling charm you taught us, but it's quite deep, so thought we'd better ask you rather than try and heal it ourselves. We rather need full range of finger movement in our line of work, so best bring it to a professional, I thought..."

"Yes, definitely," said the witch who had seen the twins and Hermione through all their years of schooling. "Over here, George," she said, pointing him to a bed and summoning things as she did. "Lovely to see you, Hermione … or Mrs Granger-Weasley, I hear it is now," she smiled. "Minerva told me all about your wedding and I saw this morning's Prophet ... we've just started having owls deliver it again at breakfast." Then she was all business again. "Kindly fetch me that jar of balm, yes, the yellow one … I don't like to accio things towards patients," she explained.

Fred deposited George onto the bed and then climbed up beside him, generating a shake of Madam Pomfrey's head followed by a knowing and kindly smile borne from long familiarity of the twins' need to be close to each other, especially in times of strife. Her only practical response was to enlarge the bed so that both men fitted in better. The healer got straight to work, tending George's hand with spells and then applying the thick yellow balm, which caused him to groan with relief.

"That feels bloody lovely, thank you," he said.

"Language, George," she warned. "We've discussed this before … I still have small patients as well, you know. Our agreement doesn't mean you can break the rules! Although," she looked at Hermione, "they didn't obey my rules when they were students here, so I don't know why I think they're going to respect them now!"

"We respect you enormously," said Fred, with a grin.

Poppy Pomfrey simply raised her eyebrows with a small smile. "I know you do, Fred," she said, patting him. "Now, your brother's going to be fine, but I think we ought to confine him to desk and shop work for the rest of the day and not stress that hand with any more potion-making or strenuous activity. Keep the bandage on overnight to keep the balm in place and then you can take it off in the morning and the skin should be as good as new."

Hermione was looking between the three of them, so many questions filling her mind.

"Agreement?" she asked first, looking between the three of them. "And…" she looked at Madam Pomfrey, who had been very kind to her during her stays in the infirmary. One couldn't be friends with Harry and Ron without ending up here on a fairly regular basis, either as the recipient of Madam Pomfrey's care or as a visitor. Not that Madam Pomfrey had ever particularly approved of her patients having visitors, Hermione remembered with a smile. "You know who's who?"

The older witch smiled again. "Of course I do," she said. "My job is all about observation and making assessments of people's wellbeing from the moment they enter the room. I've started my examination before they reach a bed. These two aren't difficult to tell apart, as I'm sure you know yourself," she gave Hermione a questioning glance.

Hermione smiled and nodded. "Yes, but it always surprises me how many people don't take that care and time," she trailed off, not wanting to say more about that in front of Fred and George. She wasn't sure how they felt about it.

"It doesn't bother us when people don't," said Fred.

"But," George chipped in, "we do have a special place in our hearts for those who make the effort."

"Hence our agreement," said Fred. "Though it sort of just extended after the war," he grinned.

"Fred and George may not have told you the full details, by the sound of it," Poppy added, seeing the twins' looking at each other, "but one of their contributions before and during the war was to create and supply medicines and healing potions for those in need. And I was the centre of distribution … I was the last person that would be suspected, so it was an obvious choice really," she shrugged.

"What Poppy isn't telling you," Fred said, "is that she took great risks herself to get things to where they were needed. Helping the muggleborns that needed to escape. Helping students who were being hurt."

"And what these boys also might not have told you," Poppy said, "is that they would come over sometimes in the evenings to help tend and cheer up those who needed it. They would bring tricks and games and all sorts." Hermione tipped her head and looked at Fred and George, who were trying to shrug off the praise a bit. "I became worried about their safety," Poppy continued, "they were apparating to outside the gates and walking in, and with the Carrows around..." she trailed off, not wanting to finish that sentence. "So Minerva helped us create the cupboards, which also meant we had a safe route out … for her and I to take ourselves or others into the shop and thus Diagon Alley if we ever needed it."

"Luckily they didn't," said George.

"And now," Poppy continued, "we have an agreement that the boys will keep us supplied with the best of their healing products and, in return, they can pop here rather than St Mungos whenever they need treatment for minor injuries. Which is," she sighed, looking between the two grinning men, "more often than I would like from the perspective of their wellbeing, but very enjoyable for an old woman who likes seeing how her favourite scamps are getting on." She smiled fondly at them and Fred swung his legs off the bed.

"Shall I put the kettle on?" he asked, and Poppy nodded.

"Go on then," she smiled, rolling her eyes again, "and I'll call for biscuits." She walked off towards her office, and Fred headed to the infirmary's kitchen.

"I'll let Verity know we're here as well," he called to George and Hermione, who remained at his bedside.

"Are you OK, Georgie?" Hermione asked him, climbing up onto the bed where Fred had sat. George put his arm around her to help her up and then left it there. She settled into his side.

"Yeah, I'm alright, love," he said. "Thanks. Stupid mistake, should have known better. Wasn't paying enough attention…"

Hermione decided not to comment on that. George was well aware of how his worries were affecting him and he didn't need Hermione to interfere.

"Do you want me to contact Angie?" she asked softly. "I could send my patronus if you like?"

George wrinkled his nose. "Can't, love. She's at practice. They have blocking charms on the pitch; can't have players being distracted by outside communications. We can contact the office if there's an emergency but," he looked down at the bandaged hand, "it's not really life and death, is it, and I don't want to be needy…"

"We could owl when we get back to the shop though?"

"Yeah," he agreed. "That would be good. Maybe she'll be able to get off early and cuddle me," he said.

"That sounds nice. We'll find her as soon as we can," she reassured him. "In the meantime," Hermione smiled, having thought of a way to cheer him up, "do magical people ever have cartoons and pictures on their bandages?"

George's eyes widened and he shook his head. "Not that I know of."

"Well," Hermione said as she took George's arm into her hand and raised her wand, "muggle parents can buy special plasters for when their kids get hurt, and they have happy cartoons and things on them. Let's see…" George watched with brotherly affection as her mouth formed several different shapes while she was working, and he deliberately didn't look at his hand until she had finished. "There," she said finally, indicating that he should look. When he did, he almost squealed with delight.

"That's brilliant!" he exclaimed. Hermione had covered his bandage with colourful spirals and starbursts, to look like fireworks. She had drawn a few rockets, with trails of sparks following them, and a few 'WWW's to fill in the gaps.

"We could probably get them to move, like Charlie's tattoos," she said, a bit apologetically, "but I don't know a spell for that."

"I might," he winked, and pulled his own wand out of its holster. A couple of minutes later, he had animated her artwork and they both watched as the fireworks danced around.

"I knew the three of you would have even more potential in combination," a familiar voice said from George's other side. To their mutual further delight, Poppy hadn't just called for biscuits; she had called down to the Headmistress' Office as well, and Minerva had come to join them. "Are you treating my favourite student well?" she continued, looking at Fred as he arrived with the tea.

"She is," he replied cheekily. "She understands my need for Georgie time and we've got off to a good start. Thanks for asking," he winked, as Hermione shook her head, laughing.

"I'm very happy too, thank you," she reassured her old professor.

"That's good then," said Minerva, smiling at them both. After proper greetings and hugs had been exchanged, they spent a happy half hour exchanging news – most pressingly of Charlie's newfound family, which thrilled Minerva. Charlie had been another of her favourites, as the star seeker of her beloved cup-winning quidditch team – and catching up on what had happened in all their lives since the wedding.

"Do let them know I'm available to chat anytime if it would help," she said to Hermione.

"I will," Hermione nodded. "There's one thing in particular that Lauren's curious about," she said, "but I don't know the answer to. Elliot appears to know when someone is about to apparate in; he announces it by saying 'whoosh' a few seconds before they appear, and none of us have any idea as to why that might be."

Minerva's eyes widened. "Really?" she asked, looking thoughtful. "That's very interesting…"

"Do you think it could be some sort of divination?" Poppy asked, looking at her old friend.

Minerva pursed her lips, tipping her head to one side. Fred and George looked at each other. They had the distinct and shared impression that Minerva knew more than she wanted to say. "It's a possibility, though it's a rather specific manifestation, especially in one so young." She turned to look between their three visitors. "He was conceived in Romania?"

Hermione nodded in confirmation.

"Was there anything unusual about his birth?"

"Not that I know of," Hermione said. "From what Lauren said, he was born at home and it was all very straightforward. I think she said she had him in a pool, but I'm not sure."

"Anything else you've noticed?" Minerva asked.

Hermione pulled a face, thinking. "He's really advanced for his age intellectually, though his mum's really clever ... has a PhD, so that's not really surprising. He's emotionally mature too, but physically a bit … behind, would you say?" She looked at Fred and George.

Fred shrugged, twisting his mouth a bit as he considered how to put it nicely. "Well at this stage I wouldn't do any quidditch succession planning around him, bless him," he told the Headmistress with an apologetic smile. "Not that we've put him on a broom yet, but he's not very co-ordinated. I'm sure we'll supply you with a whole new Gryffindor team between us in about fifteen years time; I'm just not sure it'll be Elliot's thing…" he trailed off, shaking his head with a smile as he remembered his and George's efforts to teach their nephew to throw and catch.

"He's gorgeous; you'll love him," George assured her.

Fred nodded vigorously in agreement. "And he'll be top of the class, like my lovely wife here."

"That'll do me very nicely then," Minerva smiled. Then she looked back at Hermione. "Let me do some research. I have an idea that I want to look into, but it's what these two would call a long shot and I'm not sure if I'm thinking in the right direction or not. I'll get back to you," she promised.

"Thank you," said Hermione. "I'm sure Lauren would love to meet you. Charlie's planning to come back to England for good," she smiled to see Minerva's face light up at that, "but I imagine they might be a bit back and forth for a few weeks while they sort everything out…"

"It might take me that long to look into this, so that will work out," Minerva said. "Look, it's been lovely," she added, standing up, "but I need to get back to my office … so much to do before the term starts."

"Let us know what we can do to help," Fred said.

"Yes," said George and Hermione, at the same time, laughing at the coincidence and feeling a jolt of shared happiness through their bond. Hermione felt grateful that George was still enjoying moments of happiness despite his deeper worries.

"And thank you," George said to Poppy, giving her a quick hug before he followed the others to the cupboard.

When they returned, they discovered that Lee had been right. The article in The Prophet had brought more people than usual to the twins' shop, perhaps hoping to catch a glance of the happy couple. No-one had actually asked for them though, he told them when he came back to see how George was. In fact, he added, he and Verity had been happy to put their usually slow Monday morning to good use by opening a couple of samples of glitterbubble products and offering demonstrations, which had led to a few more sales than usual.

"Nice one, mate, thank you," George had said. "I'm on light duties for the day, by the way … do you want me to come up front so you and Verity can have a break?"

Lee shook his head. "No need. Vee's managing everything for a bit while I'm out here and I can do the same if she wants to go in the back for a break. But," he winked, "spending my break with her gives me more time to work on her…"

"Good luck with that then," Fred grinned.

"I just love all this romance," said Hermione, when the three of them returned to their office again. "In fact…"

"Oooooh," Fred said, "I can sense your marketing brain working."

"Well," she continued, "if it's a good time, I could tell you about a couple of ideas I have, and you two can discuss it whenever you want and tell me what you think." Hermione stood up and went to sit at her desk. She wanted to be able to have her new quill write notes, and the twins smiled at how business-like she looked.

George and Fred looked at each other. "Sounds good," George said. "Though we're pretty open and flexible, if you have ideas that can help us sell more, especially to witches."

"Yeah," Fred added. "When we had to close because of the war, we were well on the way to having the joke and prank and wizard gift market covered, and that's picking up well again already, and we have the private lines that we sell to places like the Ministry, but the only things we have for witches are the glitterbubble products, and even that's only really because of Angelina and Ginny being willing to help us out with all our questions and test products."

Hermione nodded. "OK," she said, putting her quill down. "I'd like to suggest that we focus my efforts on two main areas, at least to start with. One being the seasonal stuff, and the other being year-round gift baskets and other products for witches. I'd like you to consider allocating me two spaces in the shop; one for a selection of gifts for witches, and we can put things like your mum's suggested gift baskets in there."

"That was a great idea," said George, and Fred nodded.

"I'm all over it," Hermione replied. "I made a date with her yesterday to learn to make a potion with her next week, and I'm going to talk to her more then." Fred blew her a kiss. "But my idea to expand the glitterbubble range is to make a series of gift baskets. We can have baskets for older women, baskets of just the glitterbubble bath things and I thought about a monthly treat gift basket for witches." She listed ideas on her fingers. "Pain potion, a herb pillow which can be charmed with a heating spell, like George did for me the other week, a couple of small bottles of glitterbubble bath oils … maybe a packet of chocolate truffles. We could even add the pain potion to the truffles themselves, we'll have to do a bit of market research and see what's best."

Her quill was going non-stop.

"Who would buy them?" asked Fred. "The witches themselves or their wizards?"

"Or their witches? We don't want to forget witches who love witches…" George added, and Fred nodded.

"Of course. Or friends, maybe?"

"Great question," Hermione said. "And it brings me to whether we can set up some sort of system so we can research what sells well and who buys it. We can try different things, like aiming those baskets towards witches themselves or aiming them towards their partners, and see what works."

"Like a spell on the till?" Fred asked.

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know, really. I was hoping you two might have an idea."

George touched her arm. "Leave it with us. This is just the sort of question we're good at. We'll chuck it around a bit, and we'll think of something; like with my restocking spell. We always do." He grinned, and she felt a wave of gratitude and reassurance through the bond.

"I'm also wondering whether we could help the Ministry and the need for romance AND the shop by coming up with ideas for date gifts, or even a sort of 'date night in a basket'," she said, not sure how George and Fred would respond to that.

The two men looked at each other. "That's bloody brilliant," George said.

"We should definitely think about that," Fred agreed.

Hermione beamed. She loved that her planning and ideas were so valued here.

"For now though," Fred said, "shall we leave you in peace to work on your lists and plans? I need to get back to the workroom and I need to borrow Georgie to tell me what to do with the potion he can't now finish," he pulled a long-suffering face in jest, and Hermione laughed.

"That sounds great; I'll be fine," Hermione reassured him. In truth, the morning had already been rather full, and it was barely eleven. She could do with a bit of time to herself and she smiled as she watched the twins head out the door.

When they reached the stock room, Fred jumped up on the table. "George…" he began, and then trailed off.

George looked up, a bit surprised. Fred didn't often address him by his whole, real name when they were alone.

"Freddie?" he said, leaving it at that in the hope that Fred would expand on whatever was bothering him.

"What's up?"

George sighed. "I could ask you the same…"

"I asked first, though."

"Alright," George said, with a sigh. "I suppose it hit me a bit that, when I was hurt, 'Mione was here and beside me in less than a minute, and Ange still doesn't even know…"

"Oh fuck," said Fred. "We haven't owled. Shall I do it before we carry on?"

George shook his head and shrugged. "Another few minutes isn't going to make a difference."

"As soon as we're done, though…"

George nodded at Fred's words. "What about you then?"

Fred winced before looking directly into his twin's eyes. "I don't know how to say this, mate, especially after hearing that. But we've always been honest with each other…"

George's nodding was continuing, albeit slowly. "But you need more alone time with 'Mione and I need to cope with that. I know…"

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't be…" He swallowed.

"I am though. I don't want to cut you out."

"Freddie, it's only now and again. Take her out tonight. Or stay in and defile another room in the flat and I'll go to Mum's if Ange isn't free. I'll be OK."

"But you're hurting…"

"Yeah." George shrugged. He couldn't lie to Fred even if he wanted to. Not that he had ever wanted to.

"And even our budding shop romance has you twitchy," Fred's thumb jerked towards the main part of the store where Lee was probably continuing to flirt with Verity.

George smiled a bit at that. "I'm happy for them. Really. We should help stir it up a bit. But all this romance … and it's just going to get worse with Kings' stuff…" he trailed off. "But, do you know what, mate," he sat up straighter. "It's my shit and I'm happy for you and Charlie, and for Lee, if he can get his act together. And we need to get Ron a confidence potion too, but there's nothing I can do about my own problem, is there? So I need to buck up and learn to live with it. And besides," he held out his hand, and Fred smiled, despite the seriousness of the conversation, at the fireworks that were still whizzing around his bandage, "maybe I'll get a sympathy shag!"

Fred stepped forward and took his brother in his arms. "How can I make it OK?" he asked.

"Don't think you can," George said gruffly, a bit closer to tears than he would have liked. "We've been together for nearly three years, and yet the bonding means I've now got a closer communication link with your wife than with my own girlfriend." He shrugged. "No-one's fault, just one of those things. I'd bond with Ange right now if she'd let me, but…" He trailed off, because they both knew how that sentence ended. A full bonding of the kind that Fred and Hermione had would mean the end of Angelina's quidditch career, and George would never ask her for that. Better to hide his pain from everyone but his twin and hope that he could find a way to get through it.


	56. Weasleys' Wizard Coffee Break

"We just wanted to show you the owls," George said, pointing upwards. Hermione's mouth fell open. They had taken one of the high windows and extended it into a small owlery, where the three shop owls could roost and seek solitude from the bustle and noise. "The window's always open, so they can come and go, and this," he indicated a tube contraption which ended in a padded box back in the corner of Fred and George's – and now also Hermione's – office, "is where our mail is delivered."

"I reckon Oswald wouldn't allow the flowers to come here," Fred said, calling their first and eldest owl down so that he could take a note to Angelina. "He has appointed himself postmaster, and even though this is magically padded as well, if he thinks anything is too fragile to be sent down the chute then he brings it to us personally or has it sent to the front door."

Hermione looked up and the wide-eyed owl was blinking down at her. "You're a good boy," she told him, and she could have sworn that he nodded. "Oh!" She touched Fred's hand, remembering something. "Owl treats. I need to put buying owl treats on my list." She looked around, but she had left her pad on her desk.

"We have loads here," George said, reaching into a set of drawers next to the delivery chute and giving a large unopened bag of treats to Hermione as Fred gave Oswald one last scratch before sending him on his way to Angelina. "But you don't have an owl, 'Mione, do you?"

"No," she shook her head. "But Charlie's Elena is at Shell Cottage because there's no owl food at Lauren's, and he mentioned yesterday that he'd like to have Elena be based at Lauren's for now so we can teach her how to use owls. Until we get a better form of communication sorted."

"Like your phone thing?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes. I want to talk to Seamus about that."

"These phones," Fred said, "will we all have them?"

Hermione shook her head. "I can't see that being very economical. They cost a fair bit to buy and run, and if Lauren could get hold of one or two of us then we could contact the others by magical means if necessary."

"If you have one of these phonies," George asked, "can you contact any of the others, or just specific other phonies?"

Before she could even smile at his new word, Hermione's mouth opened again as she picked up George's mental picture, which was then enhanced by Fred. Within less than a minute, she had not only witnessed their creation of a new idea – the invention of a magical device that each of the Weasley family could have and that would allow communication between everyone – but their exchange of a variety of ideas about how they could make it happen. Faster than they could have exchanged words, she saw them trying out a series of muggle household items that Lauren could carry in her handbag without arousing suspicion and the boys could carry in their robes pockets and then moving onto mentally discussing and debating the magic that would be needed to make them work.

"Phonies would be a good word, actually" Hermione laughed, realising what they were creating. "We'd need different charms for ours and Lauren's though," she said, still unable to add her picture as quickly as they did through the bond. Or maybe, she thought, it was just that she was just faster at verbal communication than the mental kind that they used. They had had many more years of practice at sharing their thoughts, after all. "Hers needs to be activated by something other than magic, of course."

"These actual phone things," said Fred. "Can you get us one? Maybe we could make Lauren's from a real phone, then it wouldn't seem odd when she was with other muggles. Ours…"

"We could make ours from mirrors, maybe," said George, "and use a charm a bit like the one you used for the DA coins."

"You can get tiny mirrors that open and close, like a clam shell" Hermione said. When they didn't understand the term, she closed her eyes and pictured what she meant in her mind for them. It took her longer than it did them but, after a few moments, they understood.

"And we could have it so that it would reflect the face of the person speaking," said Fred. "Even Lauren, I think, if we created it well enough. Those muggle phones have buttons, right?"

Hermione nodded eagerly. She was still awed at being able to sense his thoughts. He was putting together the idea of muggle phone numbers – which he knew about from when they had talked about why Charlie hadn't been able to find Lauren for so long – with the notion of Lauren being able to 'dial' and call the mirror of any given family member. The magical family members wouldn't need that; they could direct their magic to contact the person they wanted to talk to, like when they conjured a patronus charm, but Lauren would need a means of operating the magic that they would imbibe in the phone that she would have.

Rather abruptly, the sensory overload that was Fred and George's thinking process ceased, and Hermione felt herself sway a little. She hadn't been this close to it while it was happening before, although she had certainly been aware of their inventing process, both before and after she had bonded with Fred. But never involved. It was dizzying, and she was left feeling a little high.

"I feel like I just drank too much coffee!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, well you won't need this then," a deep voice came from behind her. She swirled around to see Charlie, carrying Elliot on his back and five takeaway cups on a tray in his hand. "Which would be a shame, because I especially asked them what you liked. It sounds disgusting, by the way," he said, trying to look horrified as he handed Hermione a frothy, sugary latte and exchanging a sympathetic look with George who, like Charlie, enjoyed his coffee strong, dark and unadulterated. "I always thought Fred was a wimp for wanting cream and a sugar, but yours … ugh…" he pulled a face before they both laughed and hugged each other. Fred leaned over to lift Elliot out of his sling and the twins led them all to the back office, where they could sit and chat.

"Oh," said Charlie, noticing the owl treats in Hermione's hand as she lifted it to hold the door open. "That's exactly why I'm buttering you up with coffee! Is it nearly break time here?"

"It is now," said George, giving his elder brother a grateful look and then, as Charlie and Elliot both noticed his bandaged hand, a quick summary of his accident, recovery and how Hermione and he had combined their magical skill to make moving bandage pictures. Elliot was keen to see them and climbed up on George's lap so he could inspect them more closely. Hermione was pleased; George looked like he could use a bit of extra attention and cuddling, and Elliot was just the person to administer it.

"Here, mate," said Charlie quietly, handing his little boy the pumpkin juice that the coffee shop owner had put into a takeaway cup so that Elliot's drink would match the others.

When George was done telling his story, Hermione passed the packet of owl treats to Charlie. "I remembered you saying. We were just talking about communication, actually." She felt a flash of friendly warning from Fred and nodded, catching his eyes to let him know that she understood that he didn't want her to say anything just yet. The inventors liked to be able to create in their own time, without pressure or expectation, and they also enjoyed the experience of being able to unveil the fully finished product. "I haven't forgotten that I promised to have a think about that," she finished, turning to Elliot.

"Oh," said George to the little boy, noticing the knitted sling that he was wearing around his own chest and assuming that it held Mr Rabbit or another toy, "do you have a baby of your own to carry around?"

"It's for Graham," Elliot said. "Nanna knit it so he can be safe."

"Oh that's gorgeous," Fred said, as George peered into the sling and smiled to see the little purple pygmy puff snuggled and snoring against Elliot's chest.

"And one less thing for me to think about when apparating," winked Charlie.

"Can we see his friends?" Elliot asked, jumping down from George's lap.

"Yes, if you like; I'll take you," Hermione offered, putting her half-drunk coffee on her desk and reaching for the little boy.

"Don't leave Graham there though," Fred called, as she and Elliot left the room. "Don't want him to get sold by mistake!"

George let out a barking laugh. "Temporary resident while he gets over his cold, my arse!" he teased.

Fred grinned. "Elliot would be sad if we sold him now," he protested, amidst a further barrage of teasing from both of his brothers.

When Hermione stepped out of the back office and into the shop, with Elliot in her arms, she had only intended to take the little boy for a brief visit to the pygmy puff aisle. But within moments of showing Elliot and Graham the shop puffs she was approached by two young witches who she didn't know.

"Congratulations," said the first, a little shyly, and Hermione thanked her.

"Is it true that we're all going to be married off though?" asked the other. "And made to have babies?" She cast a sideways glance at Elliot.

Hermione shook her head. "No," she said. "The Ministry are keen to encourage us to start families, because our numbers are down after the war, but there's no law coming in that I know of." She wondered wryly if she ought to get herself a t-shirt printed up and save herself from saying the same thing over and over again. And then she wondered whether Kingsley had anticipated this and it was part of his plan, or an unintended consequence that he might appreciate being warned about. Spotting Harry and Ron outside in the Alley, she said a hurried goodbye to the witches, scooped Elliot and Graham up and headed outside with them in her arms. A few quick words had them both nodding, and they promised to let Kingsley know when he was back at the Ministry.

"You're inciting gossip right there though," Harry noted, nodding to Elliot.

Hermione's eyes widened. She hadn't thought about that. Surely no-one would think that Elliot could possibly be her and Fred's child, but the red hair and the way his little arms were lovingly wound around her could easily give the wrong impression. "You're right," she said, giving them both a quick peck on the cheek and letting each of them give Elliot a pat. "Thank you for the lovely flowers, Harry, and I'll see you both soon."

"Yeah, very soon," Ron said with a grin, going back to his perusal of the Alley. Hermione walked quickly back through the shop and to the room where the three Weasley men were finishing their coffee. Hermione gave Elliot to Fred, who settled him on his lap.

"Sweetheart?" said Hermione, as she picked up her coffee cup again.

"Yes, my honeybun?" Fred replied slowly, already aware from the bond that Hermione was about to ask something of him.

"I wondered whether you and Elliot might like to return Graham upstairs while I ask Charlie how his evening went…"

Fred laughed. "We'd love to," he said, lifting Elliot onto the floor. "I'll take you on a tour of the shop. Maybe even get you something to take home to play with," he promised, as Elliot held out his hand.

"Want me to vanish your ear?" George offered, raising his wand with a flourish.

"Nah," Fred replied. "It's not that bad, is it?"

Hermione made a face. "A couple of witches asked me about a possible law, but that was all."

"How was it, then?" Hermione asked Charlie with a big smile as soon as Fred and Elliot were out of earshot.

Charlie leaned back in his seat. "It was amazing, love…"

George laughed.

"Fuck off, you unromantic git," Charlie said, but he was grinning. "It was," he shrugged. "You try being away from Angie for three years and not knowing if you'll ever see her again and then see how soppy and emotional you feel when you finally get her back in your arms and your bed…"

George's smile slid into a look of sadness and sympathy. He hadn't really thought of it like that. And it did hit him that, actually, his situation could be far worse than it actually was. "Yeah," he said, sincerely. "I'm glad you've found each other again."

"Me too," Charlie said. "Still getting used to that myself." He sipped his coffee, preparing to give Hermione and George a rundown of what had happened and their plans for the next few days.

"So Elliot got on OK with Mum and Dad?" Hermione asked.

"He had a wonderful time," Charlie replied. "Bodes really well for future nights of passion," he waggled his eyebrows. "He went on a creature walk with Dad, met the chickens, had scrambled eggs and chocolate biscuits for tea … his choice," he rolled his eyes, "supervised the knitting of Graham's sling and then Dad read him a ton of stories. Mum said he stayed in my old bed until they went up but then wanted to get in with them, and then this morning Lauren and I joined them for breakfast."

"Oh, is Lauren still there now?" Hermione had begun to suspect that Charlie was wary about trying to apparate both of them together.

"No," he shook his head. "She wanted to bring the car back, so she had breakfast at The Burrow and then drove back to Bristol. We popped home a few minutes ago just to check she got back safely, and now Elliot and I are staying out for the day so she can work. I've got a shopping list," he said, patting his pocket, "and I reckon I can spend a good few hours showing him the Alley, but we're going back to Mum's for lunch. She can't get enough of her grandson!"

"Alright kids, let's make it PG again!" Fred called before he re-entered the office a few minutes later. Hermione laughed. She had taught him that phrase just recently, when she had taken him and George to the cinema. It was slightly odd, but also nice, to hear him using muggle terms. She wondered how having Lauren in their lives might lead to further integration, and smiled at the thought of her two worlds mixing more than before.

"All safe," George replied, and made an excited face as he saw what Elliot was carrying. "You've got your own wand!" he said.

"Thank you Forgie," Elliot said, waving it in demonstration.

"I said it was from both of us," Fred told his twin. Then he turned to Charlie. "I hope Lauren will be OK with it? It's harmless … just makes sparkles when you say the right word … it might save her worrying that he would pick up anyone else's again if he has one of his own?"

"It's great, thanks," said Charlie. "I don't think it'll be a problem for her. But if it is," he grinned, "I'll make it clear it was your idea rather than mine."

"Fair enough," Fred laughed. "I reckon I've got some credits in hand, what with the chocolate and our no-magic chip night, so I think I'm safe."

"Right then mate," Charlie said to Elliot. "Do you think we should continue on our travels and let Fred and George and Miney do some work?"

Elliot nodded.

"Would either of you like to go to the loo before you go?" Hermione asked, trying not to single Elliot out.

"I think I might," said Charlie, looking at his son, who nodded as well.

"Good thinking, Miney," Charlie said.

"Oh!" exclaimed George. "I found something this morning, and I nearly forgot." He scooted backwards on his office chair and reached into a drawer, pulling out a packet containing three coloured ping pong balls. "We used some for a product," he explained, "but you can have these. There's one for here, one for home and one for Nanna and Grandad's."

Elliot's smile was a delight to see. Charlie just about had time to say goodbye and hold up the owl treats, toy wand and ping pong balls in a quick thank you salute before Elliot pulled him back towards the main shop.

Hermione, Fred and George stayed out back, wanting to finish talking before they engaged with the rest of the world, and the twins quickly took the opportunity to tell Hermione about the remainder of the working areas. "I think you've seen everywhere now," George said, "though maybe not in the order we had planned."

"The workroom and stockrooms you know," Fred said, giving Hermione a wink to remind her that they had done a bit more than work in the stockroom. George hadn't realised that and filed the new piece of information away. He was pretty sure that Fleur had the WWW stockroom on her bingo card, and he wondered if the information would be enough to win him a visit to her kitchen for crepes.

"And then there's just the mail order area," Fred was continuing, "but you'll probably have very little to do with that and it's all automated anyway. Lee oversees it and even we barely engage with it nowadays."

"And," said George, "you've seen the panic room so you know that's defence products and our cupboard."

"So I'm up to speed!" declared Hermione. "And I have my lists and I'm almost set!"

"Only almost? What else do you need, love?" Fred asked.

Hermione looked a bit sheepish. "I don't know what you'll think of it."

Fred looked at George. "Try us," they said, at the same time.

"Well I know you're both more spontaneous than me, but I need a bit of order in my work. I'd really like us to have a meeting once a week, ideally at the same time, so I can update you on where I'm at and get your go ahead on things. And maybe also let you know what you need to be focusing on over the next week or so."

"Oh, bless you," Fred had an urge to scoop Hermione into his lap and wondered, not for the first time, how he was going to manage to be professional around her all day. He decided to throw decorum to the wind and moved over to her desk, sitting himself upon it right in front of her so that he could stroke her hair. "Of course we're up for that. That kind of rhythm is exactly what we need to balance us out. We can't wait for you to make us a bit more structure, if it will help grow the shop."

He looked at George, who nodded in agreement. "I'll talk to Verity and Lee, but we can easily clear some time for you. Maybe let us know when you think would be good, once you've seen how things work around here? And," he added with a wink, "just as long as we can be spontaneous for the other six and a half days of the week."

"That sounds good to me," said a smiling Hermione, resting her cheek in Fred's hand.

"Right," said George, who had already sensed the sexual tension in Fred and Hermione's bond. "In the hope that, one day, I might find a witch who wants to bond with me and make me as stupidly happy as you two lovebirds are, I'm going to lock the door behind me and make myself useful in the store for twenty minutes. Don't sully my desk!" he warned with a pointed finger and then, with another, lewder wink, he walked out and locked the door behind him.

Fred didn't need a second invitation. He jumped up from Hermione's desk. "Switch with me," he said simply, and she did, allowing him to lift her onto her own desk. Quickly, he pulled off her knickers and pulled her hips towards him, laying her back on her own desk so that he could lick her. She squeaked, and Fred wandlessly summoned a cushion from one of the chairs, lifting her shoulders and placing it under her. "Better?" he growled, and she nodded.

He returned to his work, spreading her wide apart with his fingers so he could use his whole mouth on her and quickly had her panting his name. The second her orgasm was complete, he undid his own robes and trousers and thrust inside her.

Hermione loved watching Fred's face as he fucked her. He scrunched it just so, and she never grew tired of the expression that was on his face when they did this. As he neared his climax, she leaned forward, tilting her pelvis just at the right angle, and then tipped her head back as he lost his rhythm and came inside her, grunting her name.

Fred lifted her from the cushion and cradled her in his arms when they were done, whispering words of love into her ear before helping her off the desk and back on to her feet.

"Was that on your list?" he asked with a cheeky smile before he kissed her again, buttoned his trousers, put his hands into his pockets and sauntered back out into the shop.


	57. The homework planner of the century

Hermione Granger had always been organised and efficient but, that Monday afternoon, on her first day as Head of Planning at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, she absolutely outdid herself.

"Bloody hell, 'Mione," George exclaimed, as he and Fred came back into the office at about three o'clock. She had truly never seen them as quiet as they were as they stood and admired her work.

"It's only rough," she told them modestly. "Needs to be refined. But I wanted to show you the way I was thinking because, if you don't like the idea, or it doesn't fit with the way you work, I'd rather know now than keep going down this road."

"It's bloody brilliant," said Fred, walking towards the whiteboard, which was no longer white. It had been turned into a colour co-ordinated everlasting year planner complete with notes and moving festive pictures showing the different holiday seasons and sales opportunities. Hermione was particularly pleased with that touch; hoping it would capture Fred and George's attention and get them to focus on her plan.

It did. They stood in awe to watch her bonfire night fireworks, the grinning, glowing, dancing Samhain pumpkins, her exploding Christmas crackers and the tiny redheaded twin quidditch players escorting the miniature Hogwarts Express which chugged across the squares denoting the last couple of weeks of August before disappearing into a puff of its own smoke when it reached the first of September, reappearing again at the beginning of the summer holidays.

"Planning, development, creation, launch and then sale, for each holiday or sales opportunity," she said, showing them how each season had been allocated a different colour which flowed from light to dark as the key date neared, "and we can adjust the length of time you'll need for those, but you can see the general principle."

They nodded in unison.

"You've given us a longer lead-in for Christmas," George observed, unable to stop his long fingers from reaching out towards the board.

"Yes, I think we'll need it," she replied. "More opportunity than any other time. Presents as well as decorations; would you agree?"

"Absolutely," Fred said, using his wand as a pointer. "And Valentine's, Easter and summer are shorter spans of time, and then back to school, Guy Fawkes and Samhain both have longer lead-ins but not as long as Christmas."

"Oh, look!" George exclaimed, pointing to April the first, which he had just spotted was marked by more tiny versions of the two of them throwing fireworks from their broomsticks.

"I did that from memory," Hermione smiled, and the three of them were silent for just an few seconds as they remembered that day and just how much had happened since.

"I honestly think," Hermione continued, "that it's worth beginning to think about Christmas towards the end of the summer. If you want to launch new things each year, anyway. I read in a muggle paper once than some shops make between a quarter and a third of their sales in the Christmas season, so," she shrugged, "it's worth getting ahead. Though the start of school terms is important for us to, which is why I've marked them." And she had. The Easter and Summer terms didn't have trains, but they had more little uniformed figures roaming around and, when the twins looked closely, they saw tiny versions of Hermione, Ron and Harry huddled together at the beginning of the Easter term and of Ginny and Angelina heralding the summer return date in their quidditch kits, taking turns to lob balls through hoops.

"Can I kiss her?" George asked Fred.

"No, you bloody can't," his brother replied, leaning in to do the job himself for both of them. "You're amazing, love," he said to Hermione, who blushed a little. She hadn't grown up with a lot of praise from her peers, and she still wasn't quite used to the level of enthusiasm that Fred and George showed for her ideas and actions.

"It's really just a revision and homework timetable but with holidays and term dates in instead," she said modestly. "I used to make them for Ron and Harry all the time, but they never appreciated them." Her voice became quieter. "Maybe if I had added a moving train, or little quidditch people…" she trailed off.

"Well we bloody appreciate it," said George, who was still studying the chart. "This means we won't forget things that are coming up. Or end up having a crazy rush and no sleep because we forgot to get ahead. And," he grinned, reaching towards the tiny figure of Angelina with his finger, "this reminds me that the current quidditch season is nearly up, and I'll get my Angie for the whole of August before it starts back up again."

"Oh, that's brilliant…" Hermione leaned into him affectionately. "I don't really keep up with how the quidditch season works, but I'm happy to learn that."

George smiled down at her but he didn't get a chance to say anything else at that point because Fred was still waxing lyrical about the chart.

"Yeah," he said, still studying it intently. "Some of these holidays," Fred waved his hand up and down the period towards the end of the year, "they just come one after the other, and then it's Christmas before you know it and we're not as ready as we might be."

"Well, it will also show you," Hermione interjected, "when the quiet times are. Might be worth thinking about that in relation to getting ahead for the holidays, and also those would be good times, if in the future you do want to think about opening other shops…"

"You know what we said this morning about letting us know when you've had enough of working here?" Fred said.

"Yes…" Hermione's reply was hesitant.

George leaned in, close to her ear. "Never bloody leave, love. You're ours now!"

Hermione laughed. "When you think about it," she said, "this is an ideal job for someone who only wants to work part time and who likes bossing other people about, so I'm pretty happy with it."

She beamed at them. The thought that kept running through her head was that this was also an ideal job for someone who was looking after small people. When she and Fred were ready to start a family – well, when she was ready to start a family, for she knew that Fred would sit her back on her desk and get her pregnant right now, given half a chance – then she could still manage the co-ordination of this kind of thing, especially if they were happy to get her an assistant to do the day-to-day stuff. Hermione tried hard to keep that thought to herself and not share it across the bond, though. She was just delighted that they could see the value in what she could offer.

"I think," she said, "that it would be good if we went through this quite slowly at our first meeting together. Next week," she added hastily. "I need a bit more time this week to get other things sorted."

"OK," they agreed.

"Then we can talk about the sorts of things you'd like to do for each festival or holiday and work out whether I've got the lead-in times right," she continued. "I mean, if you just do a new glitterbubble basket for Valentines, say, then it won't need as long as if you wanted to bring out a whole range of something. And maybe it will vary each year, I don't know…"

Fred scooped her under his arm. "Love, this is brilliant, and you need a break from thinking. How can we treat you? Ice cream in the Alley? Hot date at a cool bar?" He paused, sensing her thoughts through the bond. "A cup of tea with my mum?" he asked, a bit incredulously.

Hermione chuckled. "I'd love to finish up here for the day now that I've showed you that and get a more few things crossed off my list. And yes, a few of them involve me talking to your mum. I didn't get so much of a chance yesterday … I wasn't really that organised in my thoughts, and yesterday needed to be about Lauren and Elliot and Charlie. Are you OK if I go to The Burrow and maybe pop a couple of other places?"

"Gods, of course," Fred said, and George nodded vigorously in agreement. "Remember what we said about happy staff, 'Mione?"

"Yes, I do," she replied. "OK. Do we have a plan for dinner?" she asked Fred.

"Oh, Ange replied," George announced, "and I'm going to hers for dinner and the night." He smiled suggestively. "I'm hoping she'll play beaters and nurses with me…"

"Pervert," Fred grinned, turning to Hermione. "You and me then, love. Will you be back in time for a date night with me and, if so, shall I cook for us and we'll have a romantic night in, or would you like me to take you somewhere?"

"Romantic night in, please," Hermione replied, with no hesitation. "I feel like we've been out a lot, and it would be lovely to have a night with just you and me." Then she realised what she had said. "No offence, Georgie."

"None taken, my lady," he assured her with a bow. She was pleased to see that he looked a bit happier since Oswald had returned with Angelina's note.

"Alright then," said Fred. "You go do your stuff. I'll cook. Meet me on the roof at seven?"

"That sounds lovely," Hermione said, giving him a kiss.

Four hours later, when she made her way up the stairs to their roof garden, Hermione was delighted to see that Fred had made a stir fry and set them a low table with a large beanbag that they could snuggle together on.

"This is how we sit at Phil's," she exclaimed happily, as she picked up the fork that he had placed beside her plate.

"Yeah," he said. "I realised how much I love sitting right beside you, so I thought I'd try it out here."

Hermione only mumbled in reply. She was enjoying her stir fry too much to speak. It was only when she had eaten about half that she stopped to tell Fred how good it was and to ask about how his day had gone after she had left.

"It was great," he said, between bites. "I got on with making some products, and Georgie did the simple stuff with his good hand." He went on to tell her about the products that they had worked on, and Hermione asked a few questions, wanting to make sure she knew about the range of things that they created and sold. "But," he finished, scooping the last of his food onto a fork, "I sent him to Ange's as soon as she was home. Then nipped to the shops to get this," he nodded towards the table, "and not much else really. Sounds like you had the more adventurous time?"

Fred popped his last bite into his mouth just as Hermione finished her own food and put down her fork. "Don't laugh," she said, "but I crossed a few things off my list, and I feel loads better for it."

"'Mione," he said, seriously.

"Yes, Fred?" Hermione turned to him.

"I want to know more about your day in a bit, love, but why do you always think Georgie and I will laugh when you talk about your lists and stuff? What you created today was bloody amazing, and that was just in a morning. You're going to be such an asset to us … why would you think we'd take the piss? Have we been that horrible to you about that stuff over the years?" He looked concerned.

Hermione looked towards her lavender bushes, thinking. "No," she said after a moment, returning her gaze to Fred. "But Ron always made fun of my lists and of how organised I was. He didn't always know when to stop … when he was upsetting me … and I might have been a bit pushy about trying to make him be organised … so I think maybe I'm a bit defensive, like if I think I might get made fun of or want to make sure I'm not being pushy…" She trailed off.

Fred took her chin in his hands and gently turned her to face him. Then he leaned in close. "I'm not Ron, love."

Hermione looked into his eyes. "I know, sweetheart." Her face broke into a smile. "But you have been known to make fun of me a bit in the past…"

Fred smiled in reply, wrinkling his nose. "I'm going to try really hard to watch that from now on. I've already been trying not to…"

"And you're doing a really good job," she said. "I have noticed. It's my stuff, you know … I need to work on not reacting."

"Did Ron give you that hard a time, love?" he asked.

She looked deep into his eyes. "Sometimes," she admitted. "He's more mature now, I know, but let's just say I don't think that he and I would have been a good match, even though some people once thought we would end up together."

"Ouch," he whispered. "Don't even say it … I can't bear the thought of you not being with me…"

At that, Hermione wrapped her arms around Fred's neck and slid her bottom down the beanbag, pulling him close to her for a cuddle.

"Oooooh, 'Mione," he teased. "Are you after my body?"

"Honestly? No," she said, with a smile and a shake of her curls. "I've had your body twice today, and I need a bit of recovery time, sweetheart. I'm after a long bath with you and a glass of wine, and then maybe a massage if I can persuade you. And then an early night with my book..." She looked at him shyly but with a seductive smile.

"I love it when you talk dirty," he teased, going in for a long kiss. He slid his tongue into her mouth with a soft groan, caressing her hips with his hands as he moved his mouth over her lips and then to her neck, making her giggle. After a few minutes, he surfaced, stroking the side of her breast, and settled them both into a comfy position on the beanbag. Lazily, he lifted his wand and lit the strings of fairy lights, even though it was still quite light. Another charm sent a warm breeze across the garden and filled the air with the scent of Hermione's herbs. "If I could, I'd do one of Charlie's weather spells and make it all cosy and dark for you," he said, "but I haven't had time to ask him to teach me yet."

"That's OK," said Hermione. "You're quite magical enough for me without weather spells."

Fred stroked the scars on her arm. "So, love, your day?"

"Well," she began. "I went to see your mum. I really wanted to take her some nice chocolate to say thank you for everything, and I also thought of a great gift that she would love." Fred continued his stroking. "So I went to a muggle supermarket and I bought her some muggle baking ingredients to use with Elliot. You know," although she immediately realised that he probably didn't know, "you can get these little silver balls and multi-coloured sprinkle things and, well it's fair to say I went a bit nuts in the baking aisle."

"Nuts in the baking aisle … that sounds like the title of a Weird Sisters song," he teased. "I bet you made her day. Was she thrilled?"

"Yes. She loved it. But not as much as your dad liked the bag it came in and the muggle cake candles that I got him," she laughed. "I told him they were really just for birthday cakes but I imagine he'll put them on every cake your mum and Elliot make. I imagine he'll have run out by the end of the month," she finished, with a chuckle.

"I love that you have such a great relationship with them both," Fred said tenderly, and Hermione nodded, though he also felt her distress and picked up the picture of her own parents even as the words came out of his mouth. He couldn't take them back though. "I'm sorry, love," he whispered. "I didn't mean to remind you…"

"I know," Hermione whispered back. "I really miss them, and I'm so happy with you, and everything feels nearly perfect, and then I remember … and it makes me feel so sad to not know if I'll ever see them again."

Fred knew there was nothing he could say to make her feel better about that, and neither did he really want to. He hadn't spent that much time with Lauren but what he had learned from their conversation on this very rooftop just a few days prior was that there was something to be gained from allowing oneself to feel through the pain and not to try to suppress it. He kept thinking of that in relation to George and had felt relieved when his twin sent a wave of friendly happiness back to him while they were eating, letting Fred know that he was OK before he closed their connection for the night.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Over in Angelina's flat, George was indeed feeling happier than he had for a while. He had picked up takeaway, wine and flowers on his way and they had quickly settled themselves onto the one sofa. George poured them a drink each and then levitated noodles and meat into two bowls. He handed one to Angie, along with a set of chopsticks.

"How was your day, love?" he asked.

"Better for seeing you," she replied, gathering a pile of noodles onto the wooden sticks. "Mmmmm," she said, "I'm starving. This is great, thank you."

George mumbled in response, his mouth too full of his own noodles to reply properly. When he could, though, he asked what the team had been working on.

"Set plays for when next season starts," Angie grumbled, pulling a face. "I'm sick and tired of them, to be honest. We seem to spend a hundred hours working on something and then either we use it once and that's it, because next time the opposition will expect it, or we get halfway into using it and something unexpected happens which means we have to change the plan and use our wits anyway. I don't know why we can't just play and rely on instinct and natural skill rather than doing all this set up, forced stuff."

George nodded. He and Fred had always far preferred to play quidditch 'by the seat of their pants', responding in the moment rather than planning a strategy ahead of time, and he knew Angelina had never been keen on the way that professional players had to spend so much time working on that kind of thing.

"I suppose that's the price that has to be paid for being a pro star, love," he reassured her.

Angie raised her eyebrows. "I suppose," she said, fishing around her bowl for a nice piece of meat. She clearly wasn't convinced, and George found that his heart skipped a beat at the thought. Immediately, though, he felt guilty. Angie had clearly just had a bad day and it would be mean and unfair of him to build on that and encourage her away from a job that she usually loved.

"I'm so proud of you," he told her, leaning in for a kiss. "My girlfriend, professional quidditch star…"

Angelina smiled. She loved that both George and her dad were so proud of what she did, and of how well she was doing.

"In fact," George continued, "I was thinking that we might reward each other tonight … you know, give each other something we love…" he trailed off, biting his lip as he looked at her from under long red eyelashes.

"Oh yes?" she replied. "What's that then?"

"Well," his voice became quieter, so she had to lean closer to hear. "There's something you like me to wear, and I might have brought it as a negotiation tool…" He trailed off, tipping his head to indicate a holdall that Angelina hadn't previously noticed.

"Oh really?" Angelina's voice changed too as she eyed the bag. She knew exactly what was in it: George's Gryffindor quidditch robes. They were what he had been wearing the first time he and Angelina kissed and, although their first night together had been a bit more romantic than a quick fumble in the changing rooms, they had made love in their quidditch gear several times after that. Perhaps as a result, seeing George in his beater's gear never failed to turn Angelina on. In fact, she thought wryly, feeling herself responding to the idea, she didn't even need to see him in them; just the knowledge that he would be putting them on was doing it for her already. But this was George Weasley, and he had already mentioned the word 'negotiation'…

"And what do you want in return, then?" she asked him, flickering her eyes from under her own dark lashes and noting with pleasure the way that his body was already responding to their conversation.

"Well," he said slowly, lifting his injured arm and showing her the bandage, "this needs to be kept on all night, so I might need some looking after," he paused and looked at her before continuing. "And I might have bought you that muggle nurse outfit that we saw the other week … thought maybe we could play beaters and nurses…"

Angelina was off the sofa almost before he had finished the sentence. "Give me my outfit then," she commanded, handing him the bag, "and I'll change in the bathroom. I'll be five minutes," she said, her voice becoming slightly bossier, "and you had better be in full gear on my bed by the time I get there to conduct my examination…"

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"I'm glad Georgie's having a nice time," Hermione said, as they had felt him close the bond, and Fred nodded in response.

"Thanks for making space for him, love," Fred said.

"Fred," she turned to face him. "This is like you not making fun of me. He's a part of you, I know that. It's a given, and I'll always make space for him."

Fred sighed. "He wants to bond with Ange, you know. So badly. He doesn't want me to tell you, not really, but he knows really that I can't have secrets from you any more than you'd want me to keep them from him."

"Poor Georgie," Hermione sighed. "I thought it might be that when he mentioned finding a witch to bond with him before. But maybe when she's ready to finish with quidditch and start a family?"

"Yeah," Fred agreed. "He knows that. Just doesn't want to wait." He huffed a bit. "Impatient git," he winked. "I mean, obviously I waited years before telling you I loved you and finally getting you down the aisle…"

Hermione laughed so hard at that comment that she snorted, and then sat up, a bit surprised at the noise. Then they both laughed and sank back into a hug.

"He's up to something, by the way," Fred added.

"Really?"

He nodded. "He sent an owl to Fleur when you were out." He frowned. Looking puzzled. "Why would he send an owl to Fleur? Without telling me? Is he pranking me somehow? Usually we don't prank each other…"

Hermione pondered that question for a moment. "I don't know," she said. "Are you worried about it? Could it be something to do with him and Ange?"

Fred quickly shook his head. "It's nothing sinister," he reassured her. "I'd have felt it if it was. Just a bit odd. I didn't know they were that close." He trailed off, thinking, and then shrugged. "Well, I guess I'll figure it out sometime."

Hermione stroked his arm, trying to calm him. "I love you, Fred," she said, speaking softly into his ear. "And thank you for not pranking me on my first day…"

"I love you too, and you're welcome. Shall we go down and sort your bath and wine and massage?"

"That sounds wonderful… I'm so glad we have this time together."

"Me too, love," Fred said. "I don't know what we're doing tomorrow, but it's date night Wednesday and then we need to get organised for pizza night Friday…"

"Oh wow, yes," Hermione said. "I think I might need to do more errands tomorrow afternoon, so it might be nice to do this again tomorrow evening, but perhaps with George, if he's around?"

Fred looked at her. "Alright," he said. "Personally, I don't know why you'd want to snog George on a beanbag when I'm available, but if variety is what you need, love…"

Hermione laughed as she rolled over onto her knees and then stood. "Come on, you … we have bath flavours that I still haven't tried, and I want to wash my hair, so I'm going to be in there for a while…"

"Oh," said Fred. "That'll give me even more time to gaze at your soap-covered breasts while I drink wine beside you … married life is SUCH a chore!"


	58. Hermione's second day

"I'm going to pop to Gringott's first thing in the morning, but I'll come to the shop as soon as I'm done," Hermione had told Fred as they were snuggled together in bed after their shared bath. He was slightly surprised.

"Didn't you get enough of Billiam in the garden yesterday then, love? Or are you and Ginny secretly running off to Vegas with the contents of our vault? Ooooh, does this have something to do with George's owl to Fleur?" He sat up quickly, his eyes wide and excited. "Am I having a surprise party, just for me?"

"Silly," she admonished him. "Why would Georgie throw a party for you on your own? If it's a surprise party then it must be for me too, because I don't know anything about it." She stroked Fred's face with the back of her fingers, causing his eyes to lose focus slightly as he relaxed into Hermione's touch. "No, Bill's offered to lend me a book on more advanced bond control magic. So I don't send every sexy thought I have about you to Georgie as well," she stopped her stroking and instead swiped his chest gently with her hand when he laughed, "and also because," the stroking resumed, "like I said in the garden at Mum's, sometimes it might be nice to be able to be in my own head for a while…"

"Alright…" Fred didn't really understand why one would want to do that but, having been born with a twin bond, he imagined that he wasn't exactly the best person to judge that sort of thing.

"Did you feel anything weird when he was teaching me how to control it?"

"I can't say I did, love. Just felt you tuning out now and again. I was a bit focused on Georgie, sorry love." He punctuated his apology by stroking her hair, and she nuzzled into his neck, which was one of her favourite places to rest her cheek.

"It's OK, Freddie, I understand. I'm glad you two have had some time together," she told him. "And he's got Angelina all night and most nights this week, I think, so hopefully that'll help as well…"

"Yeah…" Fred trailed off, hugging Hermione to him as he thought again about how George had been affected by Fred and Hermione's bonding. "Are you all set for another day in the shop tomorrow then, love?" he asked her.

"I am," she told him. Then, shyly, she asked, "is it OK if I buy a couple of bookshelves for my office?"

Fred sensed through the bond that she felt nervous and, not sure whether that was because she thought he might say no or else make fun of her again for her bookworm tendencies, he reassured her quickly. He had become a bit worried after her earlier comment that she was feeling the lack of her parents more strongly after her Weasley family Sunday. They had still heard nothing from Kingsley about how the search for the Grangers was going. "Of course you can, love. We want you to feel at home. You bring whatever you like; we'll make room. And take as much time as you need with Bill; I'll see you whenever you're ready."

Hermione ensured that he was rewarded for his kindness with plenty of kisses before they fell asleep in each other's arms.

When Fred woke the next morning, he was slightly surprised to find that Hermione had made an early start. Passing him in the kitchen, she gave him a quick goodbye kiss before stepping into the floo and calling out the floo address of Bill's office in Gringott's.

Gods, she was keen. Fred realised that he had better put coffee on for George. If Hermione was that eager, his brother was going to need it, and they couldn't rely on Charlie coming by with takeaway caffeine every day.

Hermione didn't reappear for quite a while though, and George and Fred spent the first hour of the morning getting things straight with Lee and Verity and catching up on what had happened the day before. There was nothing in The Prophet to spark visitors or intrigue that morning, and they only had two customers in the first half hour of being open, one of whom didn't even buy anything. The four of them used the time to check stock and plan what Fred and George most needed to work on that week.

The next half hour was slightly more exciting, punctuated as it was with the excitement of a small explosion. Spurred on by Hermione's year planner, George had gone out to the stock area to rearrange their boxes of products onto shelves according to whether they were 'year-round' products or aligned with a particular holiday or season. He then decided to clear one whole wall of shelves so that they could have an area dedicated solely to the products that they were making for the next festival or holiday.

He was so focused on thinking about how proud Hermione would be of him for having applied her thinking to the stock holding area, however, that George failed to consider the value of getting on a ladder and checking if there was anything at the back of the very top shelves before he used a cleaning spell on them. The cleaning spell had an unfortunate effect on the loose dungbombs that had fallen out of a box when the twins had tried to make the shop look as if it had been ransacked during the war. The consequence was a large bang which sounded worse than it looked but which still covered George in several months' worth of dirt and had Fred sending him packing into the staff shower, following him in with a clean set of robes and a lecture about being more careful.

"That's two accidents in two days, Georgie," he admonished. "Not much of a safety record, is it, even for us!" He pulled a face, not really cross with his younger brother, but still wondering where Hermione had got to, and whether everything was OK.

A few minutes later, though, Fred was relieved to spot Hermione's patronus. It found him in the back of the shop, having cleared up from the explosion and making the potions that were needed for their skiving snackboxes. He had made himself a cup of tea and put the radio on while he was working and, Fred realised with a smile as he saw her message skipping towards him, he was really liking the feeling of what Hermione herself kept saying she was so enjoying after the war: a normal, uneventful day.

"I've ordered a couple of bookshelves from The Magical Supply Co, sweetheart," the little silvery otter told him in Hermione's voice. "They might arrive before I do, but I'll be there very soon."

Not ten minutes later, the doorbell jangled and two middle-aged wizards walked into the shop. Between them, they were carrying a trunk, which they put down onto the floor, a few feet inside the door.

"Shop?" shouted one of them.

George had just emerged from the staff room and walked forward, using his wand to put a final drying charm through his hair. "Hello?" he asked pleasantly.

"Delivery for Granger-Weasley," the man said. "Sign here with your wand, please."

"Alright," George said, nodding. "One moment please." He glanced at the clipboard that the man held out and then turned to the back of the shop.

"Freddie? You expecting a delivery?"

"Yup," Fred called from the workroom, where he had just put his previous potion to one side to cool and begun making a batch of some of their Wonder Witch base potion. "Hermione ordered some shelves for her office."

"Right," said George, turning back to the wizard with a smile. Raising his wand, he sent his magical signature onto the paperwork and looked back at the wizard, who was looking at his colleague. George hadn't met either one of these men before, although he wasn't sure he would have remembered them anyway. They were both of medium height and dressed for their work. One of them was in a light brown work coat, a little bit like the ones that muggle school caretakers sometimes wore. The other was wearing jeans and a black baseball cap. Both looked as if they were keen to get done and out of there, so George decided not to offer them a cup of tea.

"Where would you like them then?" Brown Coat asked.

"Oh, just pop them here, please," George said cheerily, indicating a space on the floor in front of him. "It's not busy this morning, and we can levitate them into the back office ourselves when my brother's wife gets back and tells us where she wants them."

Baseball Cap nodded to Brown Coat and they opened the trunk together. George peered over, always fascinated to see how other companies managed deliveries of magical goods. This one appeared to have shrunk all of the deliveries for that day and put them in the one trunk. Presumably, he thought, these two went around with just that trunk and unloaded them throughout the morning. That wouldn't work for the kinds of deliveries the twins did, but it was interesting to see another company's process in action nonetheless.

Carefully, Baseball Cap lifted his wand and levitated a tiny set of bookshelves out of the trunk. Once he had settled them on the floor, Brown Coat used his wand to enlarge them. So far so good. A second set of shelves followed, and then a third. As Baseball Cap levitated the fourth set of shelves out of the trunk and, because they were slightly running out of room, into the aisle containing the skiving snackboxes, George called to Fred again.

"How many bookshelves did our resident bookworm order, Gred?"

"Just a couple, she said," Fred called back. He was still concentrating on his potion while dancing along with the radio.

"How many have you got in there, mate?" George asked Baseball Cap.

The man leaned over, "Oh, at least a dozen more," he said cheerfully, levitating another one out. He was on a roll now, and had worked out how to fit them in between the shelving. The shelves were rather tall, and none of the shops' customers would be able to see the shops' own shelves or products once they were out of the trunk, but that wasn't his problem.

"Freddie," George called. "Need a moment of your time down the front. Slightly urgent." His voice was calm but he sent Fred a clear message across their twin bond, letting his brother know that something wasn't right. Fred quickly turned the radio off and cast more stasis charms over his work.

"Woah," Fred said, as he reached his brother and saw what the delivery men were doing. "Can you stop for a mo?"

"Not really," said Baseball Cap. "We're on a schedule, you know. Have to take a load of stone up to Hogsmeade next. That'll take some levitating!"

"Well," said George, "I think there's been a mistake. Hermione said she ordered two," he looked at Fred, who nodded in confirmation, "and she doesn't need all of these."

Brown Coat shrugged. "Maybe she likes books," he said, still enlarging shelves as his colleague brought each one out of the trunk.

"Well actually," said George, "she does. A lot. But I'm certain she hasn't ordered this many shelves. Can you reshrink them and put them back in your box, please? Our customers won't be able to get in."

"Can't do that, sorry," said Baseball Cap. "Rules," he added with a shrug.

Fred closed his eyes, trying to communicate with his wife. He didn't have a good connection with Hermione, and he was fairly sure that that was because she was practising bond control with Bill. What a time for this to happen.

"You OK?" George asked him, and Fred nodded.

"Can't reach 'Mione. She's with Bill, and he asked me not to try to break through while she was learning to control it. Says I could easily reach her if I needed to, but he wants to give her the best chance of learning to control it without me busting in..." He shrugged, and touched George's arm. Something felt off about this, but neither of the twins had a sense of danger. "We'll shrink them ourselves and sort it later," Fred suggested. But when he pointed his wand towards the nearest bookshelf and uttered the spell, however, nothing happened. "That's weird," he said, looking at his wand and then trying and failing again.

Fred checked his wand again, wondering if George or Lee had switched it with a trick one, but a quick summoning spell proved that theory wrong. He looked over at the counter towards Lee, wondering if this was his friend's idea of a joke, but the telltale look that Lee couldn't hide when he successfully pranked Fred and George wasn't there.

George, however, was still intent on solving the problem at source. "Look," he said to the delivery men. "How many do you have? Can you please just stop and tell us that? If you bring out too many more, you won't get them in anywhere."

He was right. Brown Coat and Baseball Cap had continued their work even as Fred and George had been negotiating with them, and if anything their unloading had got faster. Thirteen sets of bookshelves were now filling the aisles of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes and Verity had joined Lee near the till, the two of them whispering together about what having a shop full of shelving units was going to mean.

Brown Coat frowned. "Says twenty on here", he said, waving his clipboard. "It's signed and everything."

"Let me see that please," said Fred, holding his hand out.

Brown Coat pulled his hand back. "Don't know about that, Sir. Might not be regulations."

Fred sighed and George stepped in. "If you want to leave this much stuff in our shop, you can show us the order form, at the very least."

The two visitors looked at each other, shrugged, and then handed the clipboard to George, who immediately went to stand beside Fred so they could read it together. After a few moments, they spotted the problem.

"Well that's ridiculous," said Fred. "Clearly she wrote the number two on here, and that's a dead mosquito that someone has squashed beside it."

"Looks like a zero to me," said Brown Coat, peering at the form again.

"I will admit," said Fred, as cheerfully as he could manage to do so given his growing frustration with the two rule-bound men, "that if I had to say what number the dead mosquito most looks like, I would pick zero as well, but it's clearly a dead mosquito." He missed Hermione and was beginning to lose his ability to reason in the face of this level of stupidity.

"Why would anyone order twenty sets of bookshelves?" George asked their visitors, trying to appeal to their logic. "Unless they wanted to open a library. This," he waved his hand around the joke shop, "is clearly not a library."

"Oh, you'd be surprised what people order, Sir," said Baseball Cap.

"Yeah," his mate joined in. "Ours is not to reason why."

"Above our pay grade," Baseball Cap agreed, nodding vigorously. "We once delivered two hundred muggle condoms to the Department of Magical Creatures. We think they got the order code wrong but were too embarrassed to admit it."

"They never did tell us why," said Brown Coat.

"We always wondered about the centaurs though…"

"Funny old creatures, centaurs…"

"Indeed they are." The seventeenth set of shelves was being levitated into place.

"So my wife ordered two sets of bookshelves?" said Fred, trying to get the conversation back on track. These two men were as good at bantering and distraction as he and George were. The difference was that they seemed to be entirely serious and impossible to reason with.

"Oh, was that your wife, Sir?" Baseball Cap asked. "Lovely she was. Nice bum…"

"Oi! That's my wife you're talking about!" said Fred, wishing that said wife would get back from Gringott's really soon. If they wouldn't take his word for it, maybe she could solve this and then they could get their shop back.

"You lucky bastard," said Brown Coat.

Baseball Cap nodded again. "Gorgeous, she was."

"Gorgeous," Brown Coat agreed, emphasising the first syllable with a roll of his eyes.

"Right, that's it, get out!" shouted George, who had by now really had enough of the whole episode and had zero tolerance for anyone talking about Hermione in that way. "Out! Now!" He took after the two men with his wand aloft, and the both headed for the door. Fred followed, more concerned with seeing them off the premises than getting rid of the shelves. They would try and work out how to shrink and deal with those later.

As they exited the front door of their shop behind Brown Coat and Baseball Cap, however, George and Fred were surprised to find a small crowd gathered and watching a screen, which appeared to show the inside of the shop. It was a simple CCTV set-up, set to work in magical areas by the training department of the Ministry of Magic, with the help of a camera that had been levitated in place by their first 'customer' of the morning, although the twins wouldn't discover that until later in the day. What they did discover was that the people watching the screen included Hermione, their brother Bill and an older wizard who they vaguely recognised as being the current head of the Auror training programme. Behind the three of them were a group of witches and wizards who were applauding the delivery men.

"Well done, you two," the older man said, clapping Brown Coat and Baseball Cap on the shoulder in turn. "Top marks!" With a wave of his wand, Brown Coat and Baseball Cap turned into Ron and Harry and both were immediately pounced upon by Hermione.

"That was BRILLIANT!" she said. "I honestly didn't think you had it in you! 'Ours is not to reason why' … that was perfect," she told Ron. "Were you channelling Filch there?"

Ron grinned, pleased to have Hermione proud of his work.

"And Freddie's face when you said I had a nice arse, Harry!" She bent over with laughter and Fred looked at George.

"How come I didn't know … the bond … I should have felt you laughing?" he asked Hermione, a confused look on his face.

"Bill bloody Weasley," said George, pointing to their grinning eldest brother, who was clearly involved in helping Hermione to control the bond connection she had with them.

"Georgie Bear," Bill saluted. "I've got something for you, by the way," he said softly, reaching into his pocket and handing George a small envelope.

Fred shook his head, still looking at Hermione. "And there I was, deliberately not trying to break through and connect with 'Mione because you," he gave Bill a soft punch on the arm, and the older Weasley chuckled, "told me not to!"

"We couldn't have you picking up Hermione's emotions; that would have given the game away." Bill replied.

"Exactly," Hermione joined in. "I can't hold it anymore though," she said, and Fred and George both felt themselves bubbling up with laughter as Hermione reconnected with them both. "Gods, that was hard," she said, stepping forward and reaching to take her husband into her arms. She reached behind Fred's back and took George's hand in hers as well, giving it a squeeze. "I wouldn't want to do that for any length of time…"

"Was this … all … you?" Fred asked Hermione, turning towards the shop to see that all the shelving had disappeared, much to the delight of Lee and Verity, who had come to the door to see what was happening.

"Well not ALL me," she told him. "But I was telling everyone on Sunday, when you two were playing with Elliot, that I wanted to prank you … you know, just to ensure you know who you're dealing with, and when Ron and Harry mentioned that they needed to be examined on their ability to use disguise to fool people they knew, and had been asked to come up with a plan to highlight their skills this week, well it was too tempting to resist… So we made the plan together and Bill said he'd help. I got the idea from something Lauren said when I first met her, and I went for a muggle sort of prank in the hope that I'd get past you … hair changing colour and that kind of stuff was a bit too obvious."

"I just helped with bond control," said Bill, holding his palms up in surrender as Fred and George stared at each other and then burst out laughing.

"That WAS bloody brilliant," George said, shaking his head. "I can't believe you got us. We knew something was off but..."

"We would never have guessed," Fred finished. "Are you actually going to put books in your office and continue to work with us?" he asked, giving Hermione a squeeze. "Or was that a joke as well?"

"Oh, bless you," she said. "I am definitely coming to work with you, and I'm really excited to get on with the things we discussed yesterday. I just wanted to ensure you knew that I had the weight of the auror department and Gringott's curse breakers behind me should you ever consider pranking me."

"Alright," said Fred, laughing, "message received and understood. Are we keeping any of these shelves for your office, or do I need to get you the catalogue for the actual supply store?"

"Oh yes, that would be lovely, thank you, the other ones will have disappeared by now," Hermione said, and wished everyone a good morning before following a still slightly awestruck Fred and George into the store to continue to work her magic on their shop.


	59. Baskets, flowers and hot chocolate

"Oh, he's clever," breathed Hermione, thinking that she was still alone at the kitchen table in the flat. It was Wednesday morning, and Hermione and Fred had enjoyed a quiet dinner and evening together the day before, having taken themselves to eat at The Leaky Cauldron before strolling home through Diagon Alley and admiring the window displays which were becoming more common now that shops were being repopulated and things were getting back to normal again after the war. George had spent the evening at Angie's again, although they thought they had heard him come home late.

"You mean me, or your husband?" asked a voice from the hallway. "Because I think we're both pretty marvellous…" George trailed off with a grin, stepping forward to give Hermione a good morning kiss on the cheek which she thought was a lovely brotherly gesture until she realised that it was a cover for him to steal the second piece of toast from her plate. Her attempts to retrieve it were in vain; her wand was in the living room and his greater height and even greater appetite for food meant that it had disappeared before her complaint was barely out of her mouth.

Smiling, because she was happy to see him on teasing form again, Hermione went to the other side of the room to put more bread in the toaster. She could have gone to get her wand but, even after all these years of knowing she was a witch, she still quite liked doing some things the muggle way.

"I meant Kingsley," she said, reaching into the cupboard for a plate for George. "I'm just reading his second article, in today's Prophet."

"Oh?" he said simply, drawing a chair next to Hermione's so that they could read together. By the time she returned with a large pile of toast, he had caught up. "I see what you mean … I think…" he said.

"He must have known that people would be suspicious about what he had planned after the first article; he guessed that it would make people wonder what was going on, so he planned this one to come out just forty eight hours later and get straight in there with the explanations and a promise of more detail to come," she explained. "It's genius, actually. Give everyone just long enough to get a bit worried, but not long enough to rebel, and then reassure them and answer all their questions with a candid piece explaining things in black and white. Look," she pointed to a page of text, "he's been clear that there are still details that haven't been revealed, but he's published the key facts and a timeline showing what information he's going to be sharing and when each piece will be published."

George mumbled, chewing his toast.

"And then," Hermione continued, after sharing a quick kiss with Fred who had joined them and sat on her other side, making her grateful that she had loaded more slices of bread into the toaster in readiness for his arrival, "there's another piece in here," she flipped to the gossipier section, "giving details of, and I quote, the Ministry Ball to which those who fought in the final battle will be invited to celebrate the re-opening of Hogwarts, Harry Potter's birthday and the launch of the incentives that will help increase the population."

"What a man," said Fred, making his eyes large and earning himself a deep laugh from George and a roll of Hermione's eyes.

"I think it's very clever though," she said, not entirely sure why she was feeling a bit defensive towards Kingsley.

"No, you're right," George agreed, looking at Fred. They had both picked up the sensation and didn't want Hermione to feel that they were being rude towards someone that they all admired. "It's just hard for the two of us to be too serious in the face of this kind of thing, you know, love."

"I know," Hermione leaned into one of them and then the other. She was happy to see that George was a bit more himself this morning. "I just really, badly want this to work, so we don't have to have a marriage law. Not for me," she added, taking Fred's hand in her own. "I'm OK … it's others I'm worried about…"

George's face became more serious. "You are right, love," he said. "OK," he leaned in towards the paper again, planning to read the bits he hadn't yet got to. "What would you like to do today? Freddie and I aren't needed on the shop floor."

"Indeed," Fred added. "In fact, Vee and Lee have said they feel they can hold the fort permanently during the week."

George butted back in. "They'll just come and get us if they need a hand, so this would be a great time to create something new, if you want to put one of your ideas into action?"

Hermione was re-reading the article. "We need to get to the back-to-school plan soon, but as you've already been focusing on restocking the snackboxes and school pranks, we've got a bit of time to think about date stuff, which would fit nicely with this" she said, a bit absent-mindedly.

George and Fred nodded in unison. "That's what we thought too," said Fred.

"Date in a basket … we could do a few varieties, maybe?"

Hermione looked up, feeling their excitement. "This sounds great, guys. I've already got a few ideas. How soon shall we start?"

Half an hour later, all three of them were in their shared office; George and Hermione in their chairs, although Hermione's was still while George was spinning himself slowly around in circles, fortified by his coffee, and Fred perched in his usual position on the front edge of his desk.

"OK," said Hermione, unrolling a piece of parchment. "Here are my ideas. Option one is a picnic basket with wine, chocolates, a blanket and two glasses. All magically shrunk so it can be carried in a pocket and then extended when you arrive at your chosen destination."

"Good start," said George, "but needs a Wheezes touch, don't you think?"

"I did wonder…" Hermione said. "I mean, you can get all that from any shop. But fireworks seem a bit excessive, and I couldn't see any joke products which would really be conducive to a date night…"

"You're right," said Fred, "but what about a Wheezes party game? But where the party is just two people?"

"Oh," George looked excited as he picked up Fred's thought, "like icebreakers?"

"Ooooooh," Hermione was excited, "that's a great idea! We could make some cards with questions to ask each other…"

Fred took over "…or an actual game to play?"

"Like date exploding snap?"

"Or a date truth or dare dice?"

"Or both," Hermione said. "We could have a selection of, say, four or five, with different activities? If people enjoyed one, they might buy another…"

"Wicked," Fred and George said in unison, their widened, excited eyes making Hermione laugh.

"And," Fred looked at George, "if you chat up Phil, he might help us source the wine at a good price?"

"I'm sure he would," said George. "We can ask him when we go over there tonight."

"I was also wondering," Hermione said, "about something for the wizard who needs a bit of a confidence boost…"

"Ron, you mean?" Fred asked, making the other two smile, albeit for slightly different reasons.

"Well, yes, actually," Hermione admitted, as George continued to grin and spin. "But he can't be the only one who needs a helping hand?"

"What would that basket contain then, love?" George asked, with a glint in his eye. "Love potion? Liquid luck? I mean, how far are you willing to press your morals for sales?"

Hermione tensed briefly before she sensed the humour and love behind his words. "Actually," she said, trying to pretend to be prim, but instead lapsing into a grin of her own under George's intense stare, "I was thinking maybe a little black box rather than a basket. Make it a bit of a secret, just for those in need, and it could contain a confidence potion, a book of tips and an everlasting flower, which the buyer could give to their intended…"

Fred nodded. "I like that too. Bit of help but nothing too unethical. After all," he said, looking at George and then speaking in unison with his brother again as they pointed to the sign over Hermione's desk, "no testing on firsties!"

"I had another idea too," Hermione said, choosing not to respond directly in the hope of being able to continue their conversation without going off on too many tangents. "I don't know what you'll think."

That got their attention, and the two men turned to her. George's chair was finally still, and Hermione found herself feeling relieved to not have to watch him spin anymore; it had been making her feel dizzy.

"Well," she said. "We all know Ron needs some help in the confidence department, and the most obvious solution is to make this and then ask him to test it as a favour. But it struck me that all the rest of you Weasley boys, yes even Percy in his own way," she insisted when Fred opened his mouth and she sensed his thoughts, "already have that kind of confidence. And maybe…" she said.

"Oh bloody brilliant, 'Mione," Fred interrupted, having read her mind faster than she could verbalise her idea. "We ask the others over sometime to help us write the tips book, and even if Ron doesn't have a lot to add, he'll be a part of the conversation and that might help him in itself."

"Ace idea," said George.

"Exactly," Hermione smiled. "And the rest of us can do something fun; it'll be great. I might even round up some glitterbubble products and get them to help me work on the gift baskets for witches," she added. "Even your dad's into that idea!" she laughed.

George's quill was scribbling fast again as Fred leaned forward. "If we're going to tie the date baskets in with the Ministry's plan," he said, "we need to get on to it as soon as we can."

"Well," Hermione replied, pulling a pad towards her. "I've been thinking about that. I could go to your packaging supplier and get baskets and wrapping paper this morning, and perhaps pop in to Honeydukes and see if they will give us a discount on truffles…"

"They will," George interjected, "we've already made that deal, so you only need to tell them you're there on our behalf. They'll be delighted, because it lets them get their newest products under the noses of people who might not normally shop there."

"Great," said Hermione, and then she stopped. "Although why would you have a deal with Honeydukes? Don't you make your own sweets for the most part?"

"Well yes," said Fred, "but while you were away we tried a few promotional ideas out. Buy a daydream charm and get a free truffle, that sort of thing. Honeydukes were delighted to sell us truffles at cost, because people would go over there and buy more after…"

"OK, so you'll talk to Phil about wine this evening?" Hermione asked George, who saluted in response. "And that just leaves the card games?"

"We've got all morning for those," said Fred, grabbing parchment of his own. "Right then, twenty interesting date questions, Georgie?"

Hermione laughed. "How about you two come up with forty and then, when I get back from shopping, I can help you pick the best?"

Fred pretended to be miffed. "It's like she doesn't trust us to be appropriate, Georgie," he complained.

At that, Hermione crossed the office, leaned down and kissed Fred hard on the lips, slipping her tongue into his mouth and making him moan while George exclaimed in protest and covered his eyes. "I'll give you appropriate, Fred Weasley," she said bossily, finally coming up for air.

"Oh, I wish you would, love," he whispered, causing Hermione to kiss him again. "It's been nearly twenty four hours!" Fred pulled back slightly and winked, to let her know he was teasing.

"Shall I leave you lovebirds in peace?" George asked pointedly.

"No need," Hermione said, finally pulling away and going to give George a hug of his own. "I'll leave you two in peace instead. Enjoy your twin time!"

Skipping back to her desk, she slung her bag over her shoulder, ensuring her wand was safely tucked into it and, with a quick wave to both of them, she headed out through the main part of the store.

"Georgie?" said Fred. "Did I ever properly thank you for putting a silencing charm on me and sending me into that woman's arms?"

George sat back in his chair and lifted his feet onto his desk. "Dunno, mate, but there's really no need." His eyebrows danced. "Just feeling all the lovey doveyness through our twin bond is thanks enough for me!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

As Hermione went from shop to shop, she found herself enjoying the mid-morning sun but had a nagging feeling that she was forgetting something. She pondered it while walking the last few steps from the apparition point to the magical packaging suppliers and then while walking down the main street in Hogsmeade. She forgot her feeling while in Honeydukes; her senses overwhelmed by the thick scent of the chocolate and her mind focused on chatting with the shop owner who was, as the twins had predicted, more than happy to negotiate a deal on a new range of truffles. When Hermione left the shop, she had a few samples in her bag and an agreement that the Honeydukes' owl would be delivering a package to Oswald a couple of days hence. Deciding that she liked the idea of walking back down the rest of the main road rather than immediately apparating back to the shop, Hermione smiled to see the towers of Hogwarts in the distance.

That's when it struck her. Sometime around late July, or maybe early August, although she didn't know the exact date, it would have been Albus Dumbledore's birthday. She remembered hearing about a celebration one summer when they were still at school. And, she realised with a sinking feeling in her stomach and a springing of tears in her eyes, she had already missed Dobby's, which had been at the end of June. She had, she realised, been so caught up in her own honeymoon, with moving in with Fred and then setting out to find Lauren, that she had completely forgotten the little elf's special day.

Tears filled her eyes and she felt awful. Brushing them away, Hermione quickly stepped off the path and slipped down an alley into the fields behind Hogsmeade. Sensing concern from Fred and George, she focused on letting them know she was sad but OK, but she wasn't at all surprised when, just a few minutes later, Fred came running up to her, having sensed her rough whereabouts, apparated to Honeydukes and then followed the direction in which the shop owner said she had gone after leaving.

"What is it, love?" he asked, leading her to a stone wall and lifting her to sit upon it before moving to stand in between her legs so he could wrap his arms around her and hold her close.

"Dobby," she cried, "and Dumbledore. I missed their birthdays. I should have brought flowers or something."

"Oh love," he said simply, just holding her. Her tears flowed freely as she cried out her pain, and Fred felt wetness on his shoulder. He made no move to dry his shirt. He would absorb as many tears as she wanted to shed on him.

"Have you got a hanky?" Hermione snuffled from his shoulder after a few minutes of crying. "I'm making you all snotty!" She took her wand out of her bag and cleaned his shirt.

Fred reached into his own pocket. "You're joking, right?" he teased her, giving her a hanky which, while not exactly fresh, was reasonably clean. "I was trained by Molly Weasley. All of us have hankies at all times as a result," he whispered into her ear, making her laugh. "Because," he leaned closer," if we didn't, she would hold out her own and make us lick it and then clean us up with that!" he shuddered dramatically, making Hermione laugh a bit.

"I have to say," she replied, then stopping her sentence momentarily while she blew her nose, "that I have been surprised and delighted by how much Molly Weasley managed to drum into you all, despite your best efforts to rebel!"

"That wasn't really rebellion, love," he replied, stroking her hair. "Georgie and I knew where the limits were. We just liked to push them a bit," he grinned. "See how stretchy we could make them. Dumbledore, now," he hugger her closer, knowing the effect his next words were likely to have on her, but wanting to share his own memories of their former Headmaster, "there was a man we always respected. He managed to teach us all sorts of things, but usually cryptically. He would chuckle at our pranks and then say he supposed it was a blessing that we didn't yet know this trick or that spell, which of course sent us skipping off under cover to the library to look up whatever he had said. Saved us no end of trial and error research with our fireworks, he did!"

Hermione managed another small smile at that, and then fresh tears sprung to her eyes. "I want to take them some flowers," she said quietly.

"Then that's what we'll do," he replied, surveying the field behind them. "Shall we pick some of these wild ones," he asked, checking his pocket for money, "or buy some like the ones Ginny and Harry got you?"

"Wild ones," she replied, and Fred carefully helped her down from her seat on the wall. He visualised their plan so that George would know what was happening and then led Hermione into the meadow that lay behind Hogsmeade and which would eventually, if you crossed it and walked far enough, take you to the Forbidden Forest. But they didn't go that far. They picked two lovely bunches of flowers, added spells to make them last and then walked to Dumbledore's grave.

"I know Minerva told your portrait I married Fred Weasley when I came to talk to her about finding Lauren," Hermione told the old man through more tears, stroking her hand on his tombstone before sitting down, cross-legged, on the grass beside his grave. "But does that mean you know, wherever you are now? And I honestly don't know whether you would be surprised at our news or have chuckled and said you suspected it would happen all along, but I think maybe you'd think we'd be good for each other," she said. "And we are."

She took a few deep breaths before continuing. Fred simply sat beside her, knowing better than to interrupt "And Harry's OK," she said, nodding hard. "He's with Ginny and they're really happy. George is finding it a bit hard to cope, because of how," she broke off, unable to say the words and describe what had nearly happened to Fred, "well, just because, you know, but I think he'll be alright. Oh," she exclaimed, the events of the final battle flooding back into her mind. "Molly killed Bellatrix! It was amazing, though you probably know that from Remus and Tonks."

She sniffed, and continued in a quieter voice. "Will you give them our love? Tell them we're taking really good care of Teddy. We miss them so much. I don't know how much you all know over there on the other side."

Fred was crying too now. It was kind of hard to listen to Hermione talking this way and not be affected by her words. "Oh and also," she said after a few more moments, her voice lifting again in what sounded like a bit of excitement through her sobs, "We found Lauren, and Charlie Weasley is a dad! I bet Tonks will be laughing her head off at that! He has a gorgeous boy and we're all in love with both of them already. We only just found out a few days ago."

She paused. "I need to go now. I want to take these," she pointed to the other flowers, as if her old Headmaster could see her, "to Dobby. He's buried at Shell Cottage, but then you probably know that too…" She turned to Fred, who reached out his arms and held her more tightly than he ever had before.

"I think they'd want us to live, and live well," he said, and she nodded into his shirt, unable to say anything more.

The visit to the beach where Dobby was buried was just as emotional and, by the time Fred took Hermione's hand to apparate them both back to London, they were both exhausted and red-eyed although they had confessed to each other that they both felt better after their visits and chats with their old friends.

"I'm going to take us straight into the cupboard," Fred declared, "and then we're going to get Georgie, give him a big double hug and I'm going to take you both out for the biggest hot chocolate I can get you. We'll toast them all," he finished, and Hermione smiled in agreement.

"Remus would definitely approve of that," she said.

George had picked up their intention through the bond and was waiting outside the cupboard. The second they emerged, he smooshed them up into his arms and the three of them just held each other for a good minute.

"Hot chocolate, Georgie?" said Fred, after a few minutes.

George nodded. "I've told the others; they're OK with it. We'll take over and let them have a lunch break after." He led them through the shop, stopping to share a cheeky pranking tip with a young customer on their way out, and Hermione took both of them by the hand when they emerged into the Diagon Alley sunlight.

"Can we go to my new coffee shop?" Hermione asked. "I mean, not that it's mine exactly, but the one that I love…"

"We can go anywhere you like, love," George replied, squeezing her hand. "And I've got cards to show you, if you're interested?"

Hermione turned to him in amazement. "You've got some prototypes already?"

"Yep," said Fred, leaning down towards her. "We worked on the questions while you were out shopping, and Georgie made them up when you and I were …. well, visiting friends," he finished.

"That's our secret, Hermione," George added conspiratorially. "We work really fast and furiously when we do work, and that means we can take our favourite wife and wife-in-law out for hot chocolate and still have done everything by the end of the day!"

Hermione laughed and, once they were seated at a bright green table in the sun, Fred went inside to place their order while George pulled a deck of cards from his pocket.

"Voila!" he said and, when Hermione looked up at him in surprise, he grinned and simply said, "Fleur," in explanation. Then he leaned in, all business. "Right, so forty possible date questions, though actually we couldn't stop, so there are a few more, and we have standard card stock which we transfigure for other things. Once we've made a prototype that we're happy with, we use a duplication spell to make a master set. Then we lock away the prototype in our Gringott's vault, just in case, and we use the master set to make the duplicates from to sell."

Hermione was impressed. "That sounds really organised."

"It is," George continued. "And quick, too. The time-heavy bits are the creation and then, believe it or not, the packaging."

"We've actually been thinking," Fred said, as he exited the coffee shop with three enormous cups and saucers levitating themselves behind him, followed by a plate of sandwiches, "of making that a family affair." He stood out of the way as the cups settled themselves down on the table in front of the three of them, and Hermione gasped as she saw the frothy chocolate topped with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles.

"Thanks, sweetheart," she smiled at Fred. "Before you tell me more, though," she said, weaving the fingers of one hand through the handle of the cup and steadying the other side of it with the other before raising it in the boys' direction. "To those we lost, but who we'll never forget. And happy birthday, Professor Dumbledore and Dobby!"

"Happy birthday, Dumbledore and Dobby" the twins chorused their own toast, before they each sipped their chocolate.

"I've stuck a few extra galleons behind the till, by the way," Fred said, after a few moments had passed, "so we can send Vee and Lee over for their lunch." He sipped his own chocolate, moaned in delight and then grinned as he selected a sandwich. "Not just for shop morale, but maybe it'll spur their romance a bit … you never know!"

George chuckled, reaching for some food of his own.

"Tell me about your family packing idea then," Hermione said, although she already had a sense of what he was thinking from the image in his mind.

"It's all really easy stuff," George said. "Simple duplication and packing spells, not complex. Fourth year stuff, actually."

A naughty look crossed George's face and Hermione knew what Fred was going to say even before the words exited his mouth. "Even Ronnikins could do it!"

Hermione laughed, rolling her eyes at the predictability of his comment.

"But," George continued, "they need to be done individually, and either we need to hire a couple of people for a decent amount of time but no desire for an interesting job…"

"Or," Fred finished, "we hire a group of people – remembering we need people we can trust, mind – for an hour or two, put them round a big long table and get it all done in one go. We'd still pay them, of course, or we could reward them in kind."

"Like with pizza or wine or something else that they would like," George added.

"We figure," Fred went on, "that Mum would so love the social bit that, if we can get her behind the idea, sort of sell it as a family event…"

"Absolutely," Hermione interrupted, having heard all she needed to. "It's a brilliant idea."

"Good," said George, "because if you're in agreement, we'll moot it Friday, when we've got everyone there, and then we three can focus our time on getting the prototypes and masters sorted, and picking the packing, of course…"

"Picking the packing, picking the packing," Fred sang, clearly liking that phrase. Hermione laughed at his antics. She loved that the war and the aftermath hadn't taken all of his joking side away.

"Can I just make one suggestion?" Hermione asked, but they had picked up her feeling before she needed to speak it out loud.

"Oh Gods, yes," Fred's face fell a bit. "We won't leave Lauren out."

"How can we best involve her?" George asked. "Is there anything that is better done by muggles?"

Hermione considered the question. "Probably loads of things, actually," she said, "but let me think about it."

"You know she's practising owling?" George asked, suddenly remembering he hadn't told Fred and Hermione that Elena had arrived at the shop while they were out. "She sent us all notes this morning!"

"Really?" Hermione looked excited. She looked at her now empty cup and then lifted herself a bit higher to see if Fred and George had finished theirs too. "When you've finished eating, shall we go back and see?"

"We shall," said Fred. "Though Georgie and I will need to man the front a bit while we send the lovebirds over here for their lunch treat."

A wicked look crossed George's face. "Should we," he said slowly, pointing to the date cards, which they hadn't yet looked at, "duplicate these and send them with a set … we could tell them we need them to do market research over lunch."

"Brilliant!" said Hermione, and Fred nodded too.

"Kingsley's going to bloody love us," he said. "At the rate we're going, we'll have everyone we know coupled up and married off by Christmas!"

"Oooooh, talking of which," George said, nodding his head to get the others to turn theirs. "Look who's over the road."

Hermione smiled. Her friend Luna was peering into the window of the magical menagerie, as oblivious as ever to the outside world.

"Ooooh, Georgie," said Fred. "Time for a bit more matchmaking?"

"Rude not to," George replied, pushing his empty plate away and standing up from his chair.

"Oh Gods," breathed Hermione, laughing to herself as she watched the two men stride across the street and put an arm each around the little blonde witch. "Watch out Luna, here they come…"


	60. Wednesday afternoon

"Well," said Fred when he and George walked back through the front door of the shop, "she's not exactly telling us much!"

"And can you blame her?" laughed Hermione, turning immediately to answer the unspoken question on Verity's face. "Luna Lovegood," she said. "Friend from the year below me at school. She and Ron are dancing around each other, so these two matchmakers are poking their noses in to try and get information and move things along a bit…"

"On which note," said George, continuing to make his way to his office while Fred finished the sentence.

"We've left lunch money for you behind the counter at the new café," Fred pointed down Diagon Alley, to ensure that Verity knew exactly which one he meant, "and we're wondering if you and Lee would test a new product idea for us. Tack an extra half hour onto your lunch break," he stressed. "We're not asking you to work through lunch, but we want a few people to try them out and make comments."

"Try what out?" Verity asked carefully. She had learned, after working at WWW for a while now, that it was always best to ask plenty of questions before agreeing to any of the twins' half-created product tests.

"Oh, nothing hazardous," Hermione assured her. "We're looking at putting out a 'date in a basket' line, and doing it as soon as we can, given the Ministry's romance promotion campaign." She held her palms out when she saw Verity's face. "We're not trying to push you two together!" She saw Fred's dancing eyebrows and qualified her statement. "Well … I'm not trying to push you two together," she assured Verity, "but we would really value your thoughts on this as a game. And," she added, indicating George, who was now making his way back towards them with a newly duplicated set of cards, "I haven't vetted these yet, so if there are any that you think are truly inappropriate, just put them in a separate pile and we'll ditch them."

"Alright," said Verity slowly. "That doesn't sound too dangerous." She looked about for Lee. "Come on then, lover boy," she called towards the shelf where she could hear him tidying stock, "the bosses are paying me to take you on a pretend date and keep you out of mischief for an hour…"

"Really?" Lee called, deciding to skip his way back across the shop floor. He skidded to a halt beside Verity and slid his arm around her.

"Really," she said. "But I'm holding all the cards," she waved the pack at him with a sly grin. "Let's see whether you have any hidden depths for me to plunder…"

Lee looked behind him as they left the store, a slightly shocked look on his face as Verity took his hand and towed him behind her. "Have you given her something?" he mouthed to Fred, pointing to Verity's who shook his head.

"Must be something in the air," he said, turning to Hermione and slipping his own arm around her. "Now, love," he continued. "I'm going to be wizarding the store for an hour or two, so feel free to disappear and do whatever you need to."

"Alright." Hermione went to kiss Fred's cheek and smiled into his lips when he turned his head quickly so that her kiss landed on his mouth instead. He still caught her with that one every time. "I'm going to owl Lauren," she said, "and find out how she's getting on."

"Her note's on my desk," said George helpfully, as he walked past. "Help yourself, love."

The first note that Hermione picked up when she stood in front of George's desk didn't make any sense though. It looked like two people had written questions on the same piece of paper. The first, which she was certain was either Fred or George, had written 'FSB: info for crepes?' and, in a much neater hand, the recipient (Hermione assumed) had simply written 'breakfast Saturday?' in reply. Hermione quickly put it down again; it was written in the more gothic cursive style taught in magical schools and not the loopier handwriting of a muggle woman, so it was unlikely to be from Lauren, which made it none of her business. Instead, she picked up the other letter, which did turn out to be the one that Lauren had sent.

A few minutes later, back at her desk, Hermione had composed a reply for Lauren and dispatched a shop owl to Bristol with it. She then spent a couple of hours on the date basket plans and nipped into the store a couple of times to share further ideas with Fred and George. On her second visit, Verity and Lee had returned and Hermione was delighted to see that they had given each card a star rating according to how well they felt the question had worked as a conversation starter.

"This is brilliant," she told Verity, when the woman handed her the cards. "Thank you! How did it go generally?" She pulled the older witch into the staff area for a moment.

Verity gave Hermione a one-sided smile. "It sucks a bit, to be honest."

"What's that?" Hermione asked, a little confused.

"The marriage thing," Verity said. "I didn't have to think before it happened, and now it's making me think, and I'm not sure I like it."

"About Lee?"

Verity hummed in agreement and opened the fridge door, taking a long time to select her drink before she closed it again. "Want anything?" she asked Hermione, who shook her head with a quiet thank you and simply waited for Verity to compose her thought. "You see," Verity finally said, "I rather like the flirting, and I suppose he's grown on me a bit since we all came back after the war, but I was enjoying the freedom we all have at the moment…"

Hermione sighed. "I know what you mean…"

"Do you?" said Verity, a bit more sharply than she intended to. "Because you seem very cosy and happy with lover boy boss man…"

"I am," Hermione replied, deciding to ignore Verity's attitude. "But," she looked around her to make sure no-one else could hear, and chose her next words carefully, "our relationship was sped up by … circumstances," she said. "We never got to date or grow things slowly. One day we weren't together and the next we were married. I'm very happy, and I love Fred with all my heart, but it wasn't exactly the way I had imagined our love story playing out…"

Verity's mouth was slightly open and, realising that, she took a drink to cover it up. A couple of her friends had been slightly sceptical when they had heard the story of how Hermione and Fred had hidden their romance during the war. Out of deep loyalty to Fred and George, Verity had laughed at them and allayed their gossip by telling them that she wasn't surprised at all; she had suspected Fred of being in love with the golden girl for years. But Hermione now seemed to be confirming that her and Fred's marriage wasn't quite the natural evolution of the secret romance story that was being told by the papers.

"Please don't say anything, Verity," Hermione asked, eyes wide. "But I do understand."

Verity nodded quickly. "I may be a lot of things," she assured Hermione, "but I'm eternally loyal to those two," she jerked her thumb towards the main part of the shop, "and that means you as well. On my bad days, I'm stroppy and sarcastic and I have a big mouth," she admitted, "and they built me that," she indicated her relaxation area, "to try and appease my temper, but I love them like my own brothers and they've got me for life now, whether they like it or not." She leaned in towards Hermione. "And Jordan?" She shrugged. "Secret for a secret?" she teased, biting the side her mouth as she confessed the truth to Hermione. "Always figured I'd give into the smile and the cute dreadlocks eventually … just not so soon…"

Hermione's heart leapt. "So you do like him?"

Verity let go of her lip and pulled that half-smile again. "I like him well enough, but don't you go telling him that!"

Hermione drew a little cross over her heart with her finger and, when Verity looked confused, she explained what that meant to muggles. "How can I help?" she asked Verity.

"Send us on a few more dates, if you like," Verity shrugged. "But give me a couple of days to get used to the idea. I suppose it's me that has to woman up and decide whether I'm going to let him move from friend and colleague to something else." She sighed again. "I just thought we'd have longer. But," she took another sip of her drink, "I suppose that's what you have to learn from war…" She trailed off, thinking of those that were no longer there to find love.

"Carpe diem," Hermione replied softly.

"What?"

"It means 'sieze the day', in Latin," Hermione said, and Verity rolled her eyes, but Hermione knew she was teasing. Verity had an unusual sense of humour, which Hermione was only just beginning to understand, but she could see why she was perfect for the shop. "Can I hug you?" Hermione asked her.

"If you must," Verity replied with a smile, but she happily accepted Hermione's embrace. "You're as bad as Jordan … all mush and romance." She gave Hermione a wink before she popped her drink bottle into the magical recycling bin, where it instantly disappeared back to the drinks company to be reused, and walked back into the store.

At about three in the afternoon, Hermione decided that she could go no further with the date basket ideas until that evening, where she was planning to have the four of them play some of the games over date night. She popped to the Ministry of Magic, as she had promised she would, to meet Kingsley for a quick coffee and update and, as soon as she came back, went to find Fred and George, who were in full potion-making flow again now that George had removed his bandage after his hand had healed.

"At your own risk, love," George called when Hermione spoke to them from outside the door.

"Canary creams and hair changing sweets," Fred added, by means of explanation.

"I suppose I can cope with those," Hermione replied, pushing open the door and smiling at George, who was sporting purple glittery hair.

"Someone has to test the batch's sweetness level," he shrugged, with a grin.

"It's very pretty," she told him.

Immediately, Fred put down his wand, reached for a teaspoon and used it to scoop a small amount of the sticky potion out of his cauldron. "Want a try?" he asked Hermione, offering her the teaspoon with a sly smile.

"Alright," she replied, walking up to him and opening her mouth. She could live with purple hair for a night.

The last thing she heard before temporarily turning into a canary was George's cackle. "Oh, 'Mione; we didn't say who was making which potion, did we love?!"

"I suppose I asked for that," she said, once she had regained her human form again. Fred looked so pleased with himself that she didn't have the heart to be even slightly cross. He leaned forward and pulled a feather out of her hair.

"You're beautiful as a canary," he told her.

She shook her head at him, laughing. "You'd better hope you're beautiful as whatever creature I decide to turn you into next, Mister," she warned him, but the soft kiss she gave him told a different story. "I'm heading off again," she told them both when she pulled away, letting Fred reattend to his cauldron. "I've seen Kings, I've got the whittled down cards for us to look at tonight, and there isn't a lot more I can do for the shop until we've done that. I thought I might have a think about what we need Friday, and work out who's coming so we know how many pizzas to get."

"Are you sure you want to?" George asked. "Fred and I could do that."

Hermione hesitated. This was the sort of thing that a few people had warned her about; being careful to not do too much for the twins and falling into the role of organising them.

"You don't need to, love," Fred assured her. "It's all sorted, really." He looked at George. "We'll add up the rough numbers on our fingers sometime tomorrow and that'll tell us how much pizza to get."

George took over. "We're going to ask Dad to come and extend the roof so there's room, and we'll figure out everything else."

"As much as we appreciate your planning, lovely," Fred had put a stasis charm on his potion so he could properly attend to Hermione, "you should let Georgie and I worry about some things."

"Or not worry," George added.

"Yeah, because it's a party," Fred reminded her, "and it'll be fun, and we want you to be relaxed, not thinking you have to be the hostess. So how about we agree not to worry about it today but George and I will think about it in the morning and we'll organise whatever we need to then."

"Alright," said Hermione.

"You've had an emotional day, love," he continued. "Go and do your cross stitch. Or find someone to drink more tea with. Whatever's going to help you relax…"

"That's an excellent idea," she said with a smile. "I've not had a proper one-to-one chat with Ginny for ages; I might see if I can find her!"

"She's at The Burrow," George said. He tipped his head towards his potion. "I popped over there to pick some foxgloves for this; Mum has loads in her garden."

"Great," she said, turning to Fred. "Well I might pop upstairs and get my sewing and then go to see Gin. And your Mum and Dad, of course. What time shall I get back to go to dinner?"

Fred's face lit up. "Don't come back, love." He slipped his hand over her bottom. "Change into something suitable before you go, and I'll pick you up from The Burrow and we can fly to Phil's." He nuzzled her neck. "I can finally fly you home, too, and get my moonlit broomstick ride with you…" He leaned in closer, so that George couldn't hear. "Seeing as I was too hard and horny to be able to risk it last time; shall we give it another go?"

Hermione smiled at him. "Alright then; that sounds lovely."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Half an hour later, Ginny Weasley was delighted to hear her mother's voice squealing Hermione's name, and she jumped up from the blanket she had laid on the grass, running into the house to hug her friend and then, as soon as she could get her away from Molly, pull her back out into the garden, insisting that Hermione needed fresh air and sunlight.

And gossip. Fortified by the tea and cake that Molly sent out to them on a tray, fondly remembering how she had done the same thing when they were younger and needed time away from the gaggle of tall, noisy boys that filled The Burrow, the two of them exchanged news. Ginny updated Hermione about what she, Harry and Ron were up to, they shared a laugh about the previous day's pranking, speculated about how things were going for Charlie and Lauren and then Hermione filled Ginny in on what was happening in the shop and her own life.

Next, they got onto the subject of Hogwarts' re-opening and who would be going back to finish their studies if and when that became an option.

"I'm really hoping it's not compulsory," Ginny said. "Or at least that we could live elsewhere and be day students. I mean, can you imagine getting married and then being told you have to go back to school and finish your last year, while living apart? It's OK for you all," she said, waving her hand, "they gave you the equivalent of your NEWTS for the part you played in the war and to acknowledge everything you learned on the run, but for those of us who were in sixth year…" She trailed off.

"Kingsley's aware of that, and I'm sure Minerva will come up with something," Hermione reassured her. "They can't bring in this level of encouragement to marry AND involve you and Harry to this extent and then separate you … no, I'm sure they won't."

"Hmmm." It was clear that Ginny wasn't convinced, but the sun was shining and she had too little alone time with Hermione these days to spend it feeling grumpy. "Let's talk about something happier," she declared. "How are things in the love department?" she asked, a cheeky smile on her face.

"Very lovely, thank you," Hermione replied.

"Still doing it all over the wizarding world?"

Hermione laughed. "We've tried out a few unusual places," she confessed. "Sometimes the pull of the bond is so strong…"

"Ooooh," Ginny's eyes lit up. She looked around to check that Molly wasn't within earshot. "Like where?"

"Well," Hermione looked around her. "The treehouse."

"We all know about that one, 'Mione," Ginny replied. "You weren't exactly subtle about it! Do you know what I like?" she said conspiratorially. "Places that are a bit naughty. Like," she spoke more slowly and lowered the volume of her voice, "the shop counter, after closing, or," she nodded her head towards the house, "somewhere like the pantry!"

Hermione looked shocked at the second one. "The pantry?" she asked.

Ginny shrugged and grinned. "Just an example. Some people find it a turn-on because you have to be quick and there's that element of danger…"

"Is that what you and Harry do?"

"Maybe," Ginny winked, realising she needed to turn the conversation in a different direction before Hermione got suspicious about why she was suggesting such places. "But you and Fred probably don't need any extra excitement at this stage; you don't seem to be able to keep your hands off each other a lot of the time…"

"Do you think it bothers people?" Hermione asked.

Ginny's head shook vehemently. "Gods, no. We're all so bloody delighted for both of you. You could probably shag him on the kitchen table during Sunday dinner and we'd all keep passing the roast potatoes around and pretend not to notice just because we love that you're part of the family and that George finally told you how Fred felt."

Hermione laughed at that thought. "It's date night tonight," she said, "and we're going on his broom…"

"Oh are you now?" Ginny's eyebrows flew up and Hermione laughed, shaking her head at her friend.

Ginny raised her hands. "OK, I'll stop," she promised. "What can I bring for pizza night?"

"Nothing that I know of," Hermione said, "but the boys are organising it and have told me it's not my job. Which," she continued, sipping her tea, "I really appreciate. They're both really good at pointing out to me when I'm overdoing it."

"Good," said Ginny.

Hermione reached for her bag and took her sewing out. "I suppose I've just got so used to trying to manage everything, and to take care of everyone. Well," she clarified, "Ron and Harry, anyway. And when we were on the run, neither of them was very good at thinking ahead about meals and stuff." She shrugged. "If I didn't think ahead, we didn't eat. But it's a hard habit to get out of now. I still sort of scan all the time, to see who needs what and what needs to be thought about."

"Who scans your needs?" Ginny asked softly.

"Fred," Hermione said, just as quietly. "But I know I need to do it myself too. Lauren said something the other day that really stuck with me. She said that we have to fill our own cup first, because we can't give to others if we're empty." She looked up at Ginny. "I need to do that more for myself."

"You really do," said Ginny. "Though I'm so glad you and Fred picked each other. He'll be SO much better for you in that regard than Ron. I love Ron, of course I do, but … well he's just made from a different kind of cloth, I suppose."

"I know what you mean," Hermione nodded. "With Ron, if I tell him what I need and I'm really clear about it, then he'll do it, but it's a lot more work for someone like me to do that and, often, I just do it myself. With Fred, it's like he's more able to think about my needs spontaneously. George and Charlie are the same … I don't know about Bill and Percy."

"Percy? I don't know either; it's like we're just getting to know him again," Ginny said. "But Bill's the eternal older brother," she smiled. "He scans as much as you do! Wait til he has kids; if Fleur doesn't rein him in, they'll be so jealous of Elliot and any brothers and sisters he has. Charlie and Lauren are so laid back compared to how Bill will be. Even with me," she rolled her eyes. "I mean, he was lovely, but he was always there and keeping me safe," she laughed. "I never got away with anything when he was around!"

Hermione smiled. "It must have been lovely, growing up with so many siblings."

"Six older brothers was probably a unique experience," she laughed. "I can't say I enjoyed it at the time, but looking back … I've got the fondest memories." She reached for Hermione's hand. "I want that for our kids too. I want them to play together and grow up feeling safe."

"Yeah, me too." Hermione leaned over her cross stitch and Ginny just knew that she was thinking about her parents again.

"Want to talk about it?" she asked softly.

Hermione shook her head. "It's not going to bring them back any faster … if Kingsley can even get them back," she said. She looked up at Ginny, eyes shining. "I want to focus on the happy stuff."

"Alright then," Ginny said. "I've got something really happy to show you, but it's in my bedroom. Want to come up?"

Ginny's 'happy thing' was extremely happy for Hermione. It was a special mirror that had been created by one of Madame Malkin's assistants. You needed to stand in front of it in your underwear – which would have bothered Hermione a lot more a few weeks ago but, after being showered with dawn to dusk appreciation of her body from her husband for three and a half weeks, was now much less intimidating – and it would then show you how a selection of dresses would look on you. The mirror itself seemed to contain some kind of magic which meant that it would offer dresses suited to your body type, thereby saving you time. But the best bit, at least as far as Ginny was concerned, was that you – or your friend – could rate each dress and the magical mirror would use that information to narrow down the colours and selections until you found the perfect choice.

Hermione was delighted. She hated clothes shopping at the best of times and, if it was up to her, she would have bought a single dress and a bottle of champagne and then thrown herself on the mercy of Bill and Fleur's transfiguration skills. She still planned on asking if she and Ginny could get changed for the Ministry Ball at Shell Cottage anyway, but at least this way she wouldn't have to bother other people to make a dress that worked for her.

Knowing that Kingsley was wanting her and Fred to attend at least one other function as well, Hermione picked a simple cocktail dress as well as a ballgown, and the mirror offered a pair of shoes and a matching bag for each.

"Can you tell it I don't want heels?" Hermione asked, and Ginny raised her wand, which had the effect of turning the shoes into a pair of pumps.

"Even with Fred's height?" Ginny teased.

Hermione pulled a face. "They hurt my feet and I'm not comfortable. Fred knew how tall I was when he chose to be with me and, do you know what, after all that fighting and everything we went through, I don't think I need to do what other people expect of me."

Ginny looked at her friend, impressed. "I love that," she said, almost under her breath, lowering the height of the heels on her own shoes. It crossed her mind that, if the female third of the golden trio and the soon-to-be-publicly-proposed-to fiancée of Harry Potter eschewed heels in favour of more comfortable flat shoes, there was a chance that other witches would feel able to do the same.

She turned back to the mirror. "We put the orders in through this," Ginny explained, "and we do need to go and have them fitted in person, but we've done the hard, hot and boring bit now. They know we're buying on the Ministry's tab; that's why they've sent this, so it'll only take a few minutes to nip in at the weekend and pick them up."

"That," said Hermione, "is bloody brilliant. "I don't enjoy dress shopping at all!"

"Yeah, it's not my favourite thing either," said Ginny. "But this makes it a lot easier. Mum ordered hers yesterday – she's coming on their tab too, which is lovely. They extended a special invitation to her and Dad because of you and Fred!"

"Oh, that's great," Hermione replied, glad that Molly was going to get spoiled by the Ministry for once. She wondered whether Arthur had had the conversation with Kingsley about his new job yet, but immediately realised that she couldn't say anything or ask about it because she wasn't supposed to know about it. She would have to wait until he made an announcement, perhaps at Sunday dinner one week.

"One more cup of tea with Mum before your husband arrives to sweep you off on his broomstick?" Ginny asked, waggling her eyebrows.

Hermione laughed and nodded. As she trailed behind Ginny down the rickety stairs of The Burrow, she found herself a little bit swept away in contemplation. Only a few months ago, she had been here in her capacity as Ron and Ginny's friend. She was still that, but now she was also Fred's wife. As she passed his and George's bedroom door, she remembered the day on which he had grabbed her, fresh out of the bath, so that he could lay her on his bed and tell her – both in words and gestures – just how much he wanted her. She looked at Bill and Charlie's door and remembered her pre-wedding night with Charlie and then her wedding morning getting ready with Fleur, Molly, Ginny and Ange. A wave of happiness spread over her as she recalled helping Charlie find Lauren, and discovering the enormous surprise that was Elliot Bennett-Weasley. Her honeymoon; moving in with Fred and George; her new job in the shop, and the endless possibilities that the future held.

She reached for the banister, a little unsteady with the memories and thoughts that were flooding through her. Hermione had so much to look forward to; date night tonight; pizza night Friday; more time with Lauren; Sunday dinner. After everything that had happened in the past few years, it was about time she had some happy. She was so engrossed in her reverie, however, that she missed her footing on the next step she took on the uneven stairs, taking a tumble down the last few and landing on her bottom with a sharp cry of pain.

"'Mione!" Fred's voice was pained as he came running towards her, letting his broom clatter to the floor. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the sofa, sitting her in his lap.

"I'm OK," she said, cross with herself for letting it happen, but letting Ginny carefully take her sandals off.

"What happened?" said Molly, running out of the kitchen, wand raised in readiness for whatever the problem was.

"I fell down the stairs," said Hermione. "Just the last few. I was," she huffed, "thinking about how happy I was, and how things couldn't be more perfect. So this is my reward!"

Fred gave a short laugh as he nuzzled her neck. "I'd say life is pretty perfect," he said, "and Mum'll have that mended in a jiffy. It's a good job I'm flying you there … you won't have to put any weight on it!"

"Can it really stay this perfect?" she asked him, her eyes serious. "That's what I keep worrying about." She turned to Molly, who was healing her foot. "I feel like I shouldn't relax and get complacent about life, because it could all go horribly wrong at any point!"

Molly finished her healing charm and then leaned forward, taking the young witch's face in her hands. "Now you listen to me, Hermione Granger-Weasley," she said gently. "I know you think that what you have now is perfect and idyllic. And compared to what you've been dealing with for the past few years, it is. But I think you're forgetting that it's the last few years that were the extraordinary time. What's happening now? Well that's normal."

Hermione was listening intently as Molly continued.

"We have plenty of small things to deal with, lovely," she told her daughter-in-law. "We have George not feeling quite himself, we have the nightmares, we have the marriage law stuff, we have sprained ankles and," she turned to Fred, "don't think I don't know about your brother's hand as well, because Poppy and Minerva and I have tea more often than you think," she winked, causing Fred to grin. "There'll be a third accident soon," she warned Fred. "These things always come in threes."

"Already did Mum, it's OK," he said. When Molly looked at him sharply, he quickly added, "nothing bad … George accidentally exploded some old dungbombs and got covered in dust when he was cleaning at the shop, so you can stop worrying about the third accident." He smiled, knowing how superstitious his mother was about these kinds of things.

"Well that's good then," she told her son. Turning back to Hermione, Molly continued. "I'm dealing with menopause, Fleur's not getting pregnant as quickly as she and Bill would like, but do not tell them I know that, and Charlie … well it's all very lovely, but they're in the honeymoon phase and they have lots of rivers to cross if they're going to manage to bring their worlds together and make it work."

Fred reached for Hermione's hand as she took in Molly's words.

"We're a big family, love," the older witch said, patting Hermione. "And we're going to have ups and downs and traumas. We're still going to face difficult times, and loss is inevitable given enough love and enough time." She took Hermione's face into her hands with that statement. "But the difference is that it's going to happen much slower than it has done over the past few years. So you can relax a bit more, love. You don't need to worry so much. Let Freddie take some of the strain." She leaned in, lowering her voice. "It'll do him the world of good!"

Hermione took Molly's closeness as an opportunity to put her arms around the older witch's neck. "Thank you," she whispered into her mum-in-law's ear. "I really needed to hear that," she said.

"Anytime," Molly squeezed her tightly. "Now up you get and test that ankle and then off you go on your date."


	61. Date night - part 1

Hermione's ankle felt a lot better after Molly's healing charm. She allowed Fred to put his arm around her on their way outside, but it was more that she enjoyed the comfort – and knew that Fred loved it when she softened and allowed him to care for her – than that she needed the physical support. Hermione had been thinking more and more about that softening – or perhaps relaxing was a better word – of late. She had become aware that, over the past few years, she had developed a strong sense of independence and taken so much upon her shoulders. Now that the war was over, she didn't need to be constantly on alert and ensuring that she had thought of everything all the time. Neither did she need an eternal 'plan B' to fall back on lest things go awry.

Molly's words about relaxing and letting Fred take some of the strain were ringing in her ears as well and, waving to Ginny, Molly and Arthur, Hermione chose to begin to practise that in a physical sense and allowed Fred to help her onto his broomstick. Once he had ensured that she was comfortable and felt safe in his arms, they took off slowly, following the Weasley family's usual take-off route over the quidditch pitch before heading towards Stoatshead Hill.

Hermione took a few slow, deep breaths, encouraging herself to relax.

"Is there a reason you always take off that way?" she asked Fred as the hill grew larger, intrigued because she assumed that they could go in any direction and unsure why Fred, who loved novelty, would do the same thing each time without good reason.

"Partly habit," he replied, leaning forward so that she could hear him over the breeze that their flying created, "because it's what Dad always did, and we used to all follow him, like ducklings, when we went out for a fly as a family," he laughed. "But it's a sensible habit." Hermione loved that he had to snuggle close to her to ensure that she heard him over the breeze. "This route keeps us within The Burrow's wards until we're high enough that there's very little chance of being seen by muggles. And even then, at this height," he continued, as they levelled out, "thanks to a charm that Bill put on all our broomsticks, we look like birds from the ground, so as long as we wait until we're over wizarding areas before we descend again, we can't be spotted."

"What about at Phil's though?" Hermione asked, a bit confused. "It's a muggle restaurant too, though?"

"Yep," Fred agreed. "But there's a special route by which we need to descend, over magical land. You know how we come in over the cove and then into the magical entrance?" He didn't hear her reply but felt Hermione nod her head in front of him. "Well that's the designated route; you're only allowed to come in and out by broomstick if you stick to it. Otherwise you need to apparate into the wizarding entrance, out of sight of the people in the restaurant. The muggles assume we've come from the back car park, which appears to be accessible by a different road."

"Only appears?"

"Oh yes," Fred continued. If Hermione hadn't been in front of him, she would have very much enjoyed the wide smile that crossed his face as he spoke his next words. "It's a fake road. Actually leads to the cliff edge," he laughed, "but the wards on it mean that any muggle who spots it from the restaurant and thinks of trying to take it home will have magically forgotten about it by the time they leave. And Phil has some old muggle cars parked outside that are charmed to change places and colours every few hours to look like they belong to customers. They only do it when no-one's looking. It's marvellous magic," he enthused.

"Very clever," said Hermione, turning her head to kiss Fred's face, who wound his arm more tightly around her as they flew.

They flew in silence after that, both counting their blessings in the late July sun. Hermione went back to the reverie she had been in when she tripped down the stairs, thinking of Molly's words again, and trying to focus on breathing them in and allowing herself to relax more, as the older witch had advised. Fred was still recovering from the shock of seeing Hermione fall, and leaned his chin on her shoulder as he reminded himself that she was OK, and she was his, and he was hers, and they were safe. It seemed to be helping both of them to spend some time thinking about the happy things that had happened to them in the few weeks since Harry had defeated Voldemort.

George and Angelina were already there when they arrived, by the route that Fred had described. They were on the balcony, cuddled together on the beanbag that Fred and Hermione usually occupied.

"I thought we should have a change," George informed them. "Don't want to be getting into a rut. I mean," he grinned, "imagine if we kept sitting on the same side of the table on the same beanbags every Wednesday night for the next hundred years … how dull would that be?!"

Hermione smiled. "I think some rhythms and rituals are nice," she said, "but I'm very happy to be kept on my beanbag toes!" She picked up a menu, but then put it down immediately when Phil walked out of the door to greet her and Fred. She stood, hugging him, and then encouraged Angelina's dad to sit with them for a few minutes while they caught him up on the family news. He was particularly keen to hear about Elliot; almost as desperate for grandchildren of his own as Molly was, he encouraged them to bring Charlie and Lauren and said that he would gladly look after Elliot while they ate.

"And by look after," said Ange to Hermione, "he means wear. On his back while still running the restaurant!"

"Oh, Lauren will love that!" Hermione told Phil. "She wears him all the time; he comes with a whole assortment of slings."

"Good, good," Phil nodded, reaching into his pocket. "If she wants to book the muggle way, give her this. Or Charlie can floo or owl book; whichever they prefer. Tell them their dessert will be on me the first time they visit." He handed Hermione a business card with the restaurant's phone number and it reminded her of Fred and George's communication project.

"Friday," they said in unison, once Phil had taken their order and left. Immediately, George turned to Angelina and explained what they were talking about.

"We've been working on a communication device for Lauren to be able to contact us."

"Yes," Fred said, "and not just Charlie or 'Mione or Mum, but all of us."

"Fred and I are converting these muggle mirror things for the magical family members, and linking them to a muggle phone which Lauren can use."

"Though it's still powered by magic," Fred added.

"Oh yes," said George. "And one of us will need to renew the spell every so often, so hopefully that won't be a pain for her…"

"It won't be any different from having to charge a muggle phone," Hermione interjected. "And if we can do it on Sunday dinners or some other time when we're always together, it won't be hassle for anyone."

"But you can't tell anyone til Friday," Fred told Angelina. "It's a surprise."

"Assuming it's finished by Friday," George continued.

"But we think it will be. We thought we would hand a few out for testing at pizza night," Fred finished with a grin.

"Oh, talking of testing," Hermione said, and then proceeded to tell Angelina about the date night cards. She thought it was a brilliant idea and Hermione took them out, handing a few to each of them. "Verity and Lee have put their ratings on the back of each; three for brilliant, two for good and one for mediocre," she said, "so if we add our ratings to each then I can take a look at all of them tomorrow and see what we have to work with."

It made the first part of the meal a boisterous affair, but it became very clear to Hermione within minutes that the questions were much more interesting for her and Fred, who were still a relatively new couple, despite the intensity of their relationship, than for Angie and George, who had been together for much longer and knew each other very well.

"Is anyone else noticing the difference here?" she asked, after each couple had asked each other a few questions.

"What do you mean, love?" Fred asked, though Hermione could see from Angelina's face that she knew exactly what Hermione was getting at.

"Well, you two," she waved her hand gently at George and Angelina as she wiped her fingers and lifted her wine glass, "have so far known almost all of the other's answers. If this was that muggle game show where you had to guess what your partner would say … do you have that?" she asked Fred, who shook his head, a little confused. "Well, don't worry," said Hermione, "but if this was a quiz then you'd have beaten us hands down. These," she indicated the cards, "are clearly better for couples who don't know each other so well."

"That's good though?" George asked. "Isn't that the point?"

Hermione took another sip of her wine, wanting to think her next sentence through before she spoke. "It is," she said slowly, "as far as the date baskets are concerned. But it's made me realise something important…" She looked at Fred for reassurance, and he took and squeezed her hand, having a sense of where she wanted to go.

"I think you should just come out and say it, love."

She looked a bit more serious. "I don't want to ruin the mood, and this will only take a minute, but I have been thinking that I need to say something, and this seems like the perfect opportunity," she said, looking up from her food towards George and Angelina. "And I'm sorry if it's a bit too personal or forward, but we agreed total honesty between the four of us…"

"Just spit it out, love," said George, looking more curious than worried. Hermione wasn't known for hesitating when it came to speaking her mind, so he wasn't sure what was holding her back.

Hermione looked into his eyes. "I know our bond makes you a bit sad."

George opened his mouth to protest and she simply whispered, "It's OK to feel that way, Georgie. But I think you're missing something important, and that's I want to tell you," she told him.

"Alright," he sighed.

Hermione took a deep breath. "It's true that you and I can sense emotional things in each other because of the bond, and I know it's made you aware that you don't have that with Angie, but Fred and I," she reached for her husband's hand, not wanting him to take what she was going to say the wrong way either, "well, we don't have some of the … well, the other relationship advantages that you two do, you know?"

Angelina sighed and looked at George. "Is that what's been bothering you, sweetheart?"

He nodded. "A bit," he confessed.

"I was worried about that, too," she said, reaching for him. George allowed her to pull him down further into the enormous beanbag seat so she could slide her closest leg around his back and take him into her arms.

"'M'OK," he said, gruffly as she stroked her fingers through his hair.

"I know you are, Georgie," she whispered, leaning her chin on his head as she continued to caress him. Then she turned to Hermione. "I'd love to hear more of what you have to say," she told the younger witch in a quiet voice.

"Well the cards are only one example. On Monday morning," Hermione began, looking directly at Angelina, "Fred brought me every pot of jam in the house because he didn't know what I liked on crumpets. He put strawberry jam on George's in the kitchen without needing to ask and I bet you anything George could tell me what kind you would have picked…"

"Apricot," said George, without even thinking.

Hermione smiled at Angelina, and the older witch gave the tiniest nod. She could see exactly where this was going, and she knew Hermione was absolutely right. But both the witches had a sense that it might be helpful if it was spelled out for George.

"On Sunday, at the barbeque," Hermione continued, "Fred levitated me every plate because he doesn't yet know I hate lamb, and we still have to debate our way through our shared baths and showers to decide on what scent to have. Not that it's all about smell and taste preferences," she added, pausing to sip her wine and picked a random card out of the pack. "What was Angie's best subject in school?" she asked George, and they all looked at him.

"Charms," he said. "I get it, love; Fred's not going to be able to name yours…"

Hermione shrugged. "It's not like we have no history," she said quietly. "I was thinking just a day or two ago how much I love that I've known you both for so long. But the bond that Fred and I have is just one aspect of a relationship. It's great that it helps us to understand each other, and maybe we'll fight less because of it, but it doesn't mean we know everything or have nothing to work on." She took another sip, choosing her words carefully. "You and Ange have real, shared history together. That's something we won't have for a while yet. And," she indicated the cards again, "you already know so much about each other; things we don't yet know. Please, George," she whispered, "don't forget what's great about your relationship just because ours is a bit different."

"She's right, Georgie," Angelina said, pulling away from him so she could look into his eyes. "I remember when we were eleven, how happy the two of you were to be sorted into Gryffindor. You were near the end of the line, because of your name, and Lee and I were next to each other. Fred couldn't wait to get to the table and join your big brothers, but he also looked terrified until he was certain that you would be joining him. And when we all made the quidditch team together…"

Fred spoke softly. "I remember that day," he said.

Angelina's voice also became softer and she swallowed as she continued to look at George. "When Fred asked me to the Yule Ball and I said OK but," she smiled at Fred, who returned the gesture, "I pulled him aside and whispered my secret into his ear after our lesson. I told him that I adored him as a friend, but it was you I fancied. He confessed that he loved someone else anyway," this time she smiled and raised her eyebrows at Hermione, "and," she looked back at George, "he told me he only asked me because he was afraid that you wouldn't..."

She looked questioningly at George, who tipped his head a little; his mumbled, "maybe," the only concession to the idea that his brother might have been right.

"And," Angelina finished, "he couldn't bear to see you be sad if someone else got in there before you plucked up the courage."

"I love you so much," George said, his eyes full of tears.

"I love you too, you soppy wanker," Angelina breathed, her hand stroking his face. "Come here … let's teach these amateurs a thing or two about snogging…"

For once, the twins forgot to close their bond as they each kissed the love of their life. Hermione giggled under her breath and, for two seconds, wondered whether it was OK that she was enjoying watching George take Angelina's cheek in his hand and kiss her very thoroughly. But then she felt a hand on her own cheek, and Fred's lips met hers in a show of his own affection and desire for her. Fred had the forethought to cast a quick spell on the window so that they had some privacy, and for whole minutes, the two couples kissed each other, oblivious to the sound of the sea below and the birds above them. George pulled Angelina onto his lap and Fred did with same with Hermione.

"Wow," said Angelina, as they finally pulled apart. She stroked George's face again. "When we're done here," she told him with a suggestive look. "I'm taking you back to mine again for an early night. And," she said, "maybe Freddie will let you start a bit late tomorrow, because I don't need to be at the stadium til ten."

"Done," said Fred.

"Could you give me two minutes though? I want to ask my Dad something," she said, putting her hands on George's thighs so that she could lift herself off the beanbag and into an upright position.

"Of course," George replied, his eyes following her as she opened the glass door and entered the restaurant. Realising that they had finished their starters, their waiter came and cleared the table ready for their main course.

"Thanks, love," George said, looking at Hermione.

"I don't want to be an interfering wife-in-law…" she began.

"Nah," George replied. "I'm glad you said it. Helped me think about things a bit differently."

Fred reached for his wand and refreshed everyone's drinks while George polished off the rest of the prawn crackers. Fred scooped the cards into a pile and handed it to Hermione. "There you go, love," he said. "That's your entertainment for tomorrow morning!"

Hermione laughed. "I shall look forward to it!" She laid further back in her beanbag to watch the twinkling fairy lights come on while the main course was laid on the table for them.

"It is gorgeous here," George said, watching the waves roll onto the beach beneath them.

"I'm glad you think so," said Angelina, coming back out of the door. "Because if these bosses of yours will give you some time off, I've just chatted up my dad and booked the cove for us for a weekend. Not this coming one, but the one after."

George's eyes lit up with delight. "Really?"

Angelina nodded. "This weekend is the last game of the season for us, but I'm free for a few weeks after that. We can apparate back and forth if you want to go to your mum's for lunch on the Sunday…"

"Not likely," George said quickly, making Fred snort loudly.

"Ha! Well OK, so if Fred and Hermione will let you have the time off then we can come over here after dinner on Friday evening and Dad says the place is all ours until Monday, if we want it."

"I can work on product making if you need me to," Hermione said quickly, as she served herself some spicy prawns, "and you've got all week to teach me anything I need to know…"

"Thanks, love," George said, "though it's all Hermione-led product making at the moment!"

Hermione bowed her head. "I might owl you some glitterbubble baskets over for you to test for us in the outdoor bath then!"

Angelina looked excited. "Ooooh," she said, "what are those?"

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Another new product idea … going to race those and the date baskets into production and onto the shelves to align with Kingsley's plan." She turned back to Angelina. "I'm actually wanting to get together with you and Molly and anyone else who wants to, to do a bit of testing and market research, I suppose."

"Sounds great!" Angelina exclaimed, and then she turned back to George, who was ladling fish curry onto both of their plates. "Before I forget, though," she told him, "I do have a bit of a request for you. Something I'm hoping you'll think about trying…"

George put the spoon down and looked at her lovingly. "What's that love?"

Hermione glanced at Fred, wondering if Angelina was going to ask George to get some professional help. Fred carried on with his own serving activities, wanting to keep things as casual as possible.

"Well," Angelina began, "if she's up for it, I wondered if you'd consider talking to Lauren about how you're feeling? I know she's not a muggle healer or anything, but she's had some difficult times herself and if she would agree to talk to you…" she trailed off and looked questioningly at Hermione.

"I'm pretty sure she would," Hermione nodded quickly, "she's very open, and she knows the gist of what happened … that the weird goings on in her world over the past few months have been because of a wizarding world war, but that we won. I was honest about that right from the first day we met. I haven't told her much detail though, but Molly's going to fill her in…"

"Well then," Angelina smiled her thanks at Hermione before turning back to George, stroking his hand in hers, "I think you might really benefit from that; just having someone different to chat to. Maybe get some ideas about ways of coping. Are you open to that?"

"Of course," George's eyes were full of love for Angelina. He shrugged as he spoke again. "I don't want it to affect me the way it does, love."

"I know," Angelina moved towards him and pressed their cheeks together, stroking his hair while kissing and nuzzling the skin around the area where his left ear had once been. She knew from a late night chat with a drunken Fred a couple of years back that George had been worried, after he had lost his ear, that it might put witches off, or even repulse them, and so she had always ensured that she gave that area more kisses than any other part of his face. He fell more in love with her every time she did it. "I'm not shy about talking about my feelings, love," he continued.

"Shall I ask her, or will you?" Ange whispered.

"I will," he said, and then he smiled, reaching his hand into Angelina's hair. "We've been helping her practice how to send owls today, so I can either pop over or ask her that way."

"Is it OK to interrupt?" The waiter sounded hesitant, and Fred and George responded by immediately welcoming him and reassuring him that he wasn't interrupting anything.

"It's just a good spot to cuddle up," George told him, and the young wizard blushed a bit. "You should get Phil to let you try it sometime," he grinned, waggling his eyebrows. "Bring your favourite witch or wizard up here…"

Angie tutted. The waiter was a couple of years younger than them; freshly arrived from abroad, and still adjusting to Fred and George's jokes. "Feel free to ignore them, Dan," she told the blonde man. "But they're not trying to embarrass you," she rolled her eyes at Fred, "they're on a self-appointed matchmaking mission at the moment."

Dan smiled at Angelina. "Your Dad sent this; it's something new they're trying, and he wants your honest opinion." The young wizard placed a pot onto the table, used his wand to add a charm and then lifted the lid. An enticing aroma wafted out and, when Dan offered them each a soup spoon, Fred was the first to dive in, so excited at trying something new that he missed the look that George and Angelina exchanged with Dan.

When Fred first put a generous spoonful of the fish stew into his mouth before Dan had even finished talking, he made a delighted face. It tasted wonderful, and he nodded in pleasure at Dan, who added, "Phil says be aware it's really spicy." A moment later, when the fiery heat of the chilli hit Fred's mouth, his eyes bulged and he began to make burbling noises. He reached for his glass of water, only for Hermione to take it from his hand and pass him his wine glass instead.

"Water will make it worse," she said, trying not to laugh, but ultimately failing. "That's what you get for diving in before you've heard all the instructions, sweetheart," she looked at him in amusement. "Cooling charm?" she asked, and he nodded quickly, the tears running from his eyes. Hermione lifted her wand, cast the spell on his mouth and then refilled his now empty wine glass.

Over the other side of the table, Ange and George were trying the dish and telling Dan how much they liked it. "Tell Dad top marks from me," Angelina said, and George added his agreement. They moved the bowl towards Hermione, who eagerly dipped her ladle in and tasted it for herself.

"Excellent," she said to Dan. "I agree as well. Has a lovely bite to it. I'd order it, definitely," she finished.

Fred looked crestfallen. "Am I the only one then?" he asked.

"Oh Freddie," said Angelina. "You mustn't feel bad just because you're a chilli wimp!" She turned to Hermione. "Did you know that yet, love? Don't think it came up on the cards, but Freddie's a bit of a chilli wimp."

Fred turned to Hermione with a pout on his face. "I'm not a chilli wimp," he said. "I like a bit of chilli; I just don't like it as hot as these two … or you, it seems…"

Hermione put her hand up to his face. "Awwww, lovely. I don't mind if you're a chilli wimp; I didn't marry you for your taste in food." She leaned forward and kissed him, parting her lips in invitation as she met his and making Fred jump back when his freshly cooled tongue touched the inside of Hermione's mouth and rekindled the fire inside his.

"Oh, fuck," he said, reaching for his wine again, and Hermione, Angie and George laughed. George was particularly proud of how quickly Hermione was adapting to the twins' love of pranking and teasing at every opportunity.

"It's a conspiracy," Fred told Dan, who was smiling at their antics. The waiter smiled and gave a small bow as he re-entered the restaurant, leaving the foursome to enjoy the rest of the stew and the remainder of their evening.

"Ha," said Hermione. "That'll teach you for trying to kiss me with bean juice breath the day after our wedding! And for the canary potion!" Gleefully, she turned back to her food and, grinning, continued to eat. She was still thinking of how very blessed she was. They had come safely through the war, they were working on healing, the wizard she had long loved was by her side, and they were surrounded by friends and family. Hermione looked at Fred and reached for his face. "I'm sorry about the chilli kiss," she told him, and smiled as he shook his head with a laugh, just as delighted at her antics as his brother was. It was so good to see her really loosening up.

"I forgive you," he said. "I'm just so happy we're here, and you're safe. But," he leaned in to whisper softly into her ear, "that's twice you've got me this week, love. You'd better start watching your back!"


	62. Date night - part 2

By the time their dessert arrived, Hermione, Angelina, George and Fred were deep in conversation about Hermione's meeting with Kingsley earlier that afternoon.

"He's very aware of how variably his articles are being received," Hermione said, carefully sectioning her cheesecake before spearing a small piece with a fork, "and he's planning to make a speech and hold an information 'Q and A' in Diagon Alley on Friday lunchtime." She turned to Fred. "He asked if we would be there; just to stand by him and lend support."

"Be the poster couple?" Fred asked, remembering their chat with Kingsley at this very same table just a few weeks prior. He smiled as he remembered how Kingsley had enlisted Harry as their waiter so that the four of them could talk in peace, although Harry's duties had been extremely limited and he had enjoyed the tasting platter and Ministry champagne as much as the rest of them.

"Exactly. No need to dress up or say anything though, he says." Hermione paused for a moment, checking that Fred was OK with the plan, and he covered her hand in a comforting gesture, encouraging her to go on with her story. "He kept stressing that," she continued. "Ron and Harry are coming with him from the Ministry, sort of like bodyguards, but he's not expecting any trouble or anything … really he knows the value of having the three of us all be there with him. And, of course," she raised her eyebrows at Fred, "my lovely consort…"

"Sounds good to me, love," said Fred, looking at George, who nodded in agreement. This would involve Fred being away from the shop for a bit. He opened his mouth to speak but then closed it again when he realised that Hermione hadn't finished.

"He's putting a piece in tomorrow's papers letting people know that he'll be speaking at noon," she said, "and he's figured out a way of transmitting it to Hogsmeade and a few other key locations, so others can watch." She looked at Fred and George in turn. "They're using a device like the one they used in Ron and Harry's test, at the shop, and apparently your dad's involved somehow…" She said casually, for news of Arthur's promotion hadn't yet reached them and she wasn't sure if Fred had told George about it yet. "Something to do with drawing on his muggle/wizard knowledge to use the principles of muggle TV but with magic."

"Oh … interesting…" Fred looked pensive, as if he was already wondering about potential uses for their shop.

Hermione sighed. "I wanted to wait til it was just us four to tell you," she said, "and I don't want to put a dampener on our evening, but he's under more pressure again."

George and Fred both looked at her. "With the marriage law, or in other ways as well?" Fred asked, and Hermione nodded.

"Just the marriage law as far as I know. From his perspective," she said, "it's going pretty much as he anticipated, and overall he's happy with the response to his articles." She took another sip of wine while she considered her words. "He fully expected there to be some concern, as we've seen with Verity, for example," she said, "and he's not worried about that. He's going to address it directly in his speech on Friday."

"What's the problem then, love?" George asked. He really didn't want a marriage law and both he and Fred had talked about their willingness to use their entrepreneurial skills to help Kingsley with his plan in any way they could.

"The Wizengamot," Hermione sighed, "are still reforming and some of the older and more right-wing members are putting pressure on him. They're saying they don't believe that the incentives and the requests will work; think he ought to just get on with implementing a law and forcing marriage on everyone."

Angelina sighed. "Oh, just what we need," she said. "More oppression."

"Yeah," added George, "like that's going to help."

"Is it really that serious?" Angelina asked. Hermione looked at Fred, who nodded before looking at his old friend.

"This needs to stay between the four of us," Fred said to Angelina, who nodded.

"Of course," she said. "The quadruplet agreement."

Fred and Hermione both smiled before Hermione continued.

"I don't know how much George has told you," she said, "but the Wizengamot were planning to bring in a marriage law on the Monday after the solstice. It was pretty much signed and sealed. You must know that someone gave us a tip-off about it, because the worst case scenario could have seen me paired off with a former death eater."

Fred winced, and took Hermione back into his arms. He always felt the need to hold her when this kind of thing was mentioned, as a physical reminder to them both that they were alive, safe and together.

"And my lovely husband-in-law here," she reached across the table to pat George's hand, "gave me his brother's hand in marriage to ensure I would never have to face that possibility."

Angelina nodded and murmured her understanding of what Hermione had said thus far. That much she already knew.

"The bit you might not know in as much detail," Hermione continued, "is that, when we went to Kingsley to ask him to give us a license, he got to thinking, and realised that our wedding … our marriage … well it might be the one thing that could put a stop to the whole thing."

"This is someone Dumbledorian in an ethical sense," said Fred, raising his eyebrows at Angelina. Both he and George were a bit less keen on this element of what had happened, although both of them knew deep down that, as with the events concerning Harry over the last few years, it had seemed at the time that there was no other option.

"Which Kingsley himself admits," Hermione added, patting Fred's hand.

"You realise the two of you sound like me and Fred finishing each other's sentences now?" asked George.

"Fred and I," corrected Hermione.

"Exactly," joked George. "Fred and you. Soon he won't need me."

"I'll always need you, you dick," said Fred, reaching for his brother's arm with his hand and giving it an affectionate flick.

"That's the bit I'm not quite sure about," said Angelina, trying to continue the original conversation.

"How our wedding could stop it, or why he let us go ahead?" Hermione asked.

"Both."

"Oh, OK." Hermione paused to enjoy another bite of her dessert. "Well he checked and checked that we were certain before we went ahead, and I can't blame him for that. The paradox here is that, if Fred and I hadn't got married, I would still have been at risk. We all would, because the law would have come into effect on the Monday morning. But by marrying," she reached for Fred's hand, "we became the leverage he needed to persuade the Wizengamot to wait. He convinced them that, if we agreed to become his 'poster couple' and help with the campaign, they would let him try to increase the birth rate by other methods."

"By using carrots rather than sticks," Fred grinned. He loved the muggle metaphor.

"And is it that bad?" Angelina asked, deciding that she was full and passing the rest of her cheesecake across to George, who held a small fork fight with his twin over it before conceding half of the remaining dessert to Fred. "The birth rate, I mean?" she continued, ignoring the men.

"Yes," Hermione said. "Not only did we lose many people in the war; the birth rate has been down for a couple of years now. It's understandable, I suppose," she shrugged, "because who wants to bring a child into a war, or get pregnant when in danger? Some midwives think that a woman's body is less likely to get pregnant when she is under stress, so all of this adds up to there not having been many babies born in the last three years."

Fred turned to George. "Elliot might have a better chance than we thought of making the Gryffindor quidditch team!" he joked, causing Hermione to smile and shake her head at them.

"Oh, bless him," said Angelina, remembering how un-coordinated Elliot was. "I'll put him on a broom and help him learn some chasing skills as soon as Lauren lets me."

"Good luck fighting Charlie for that honour, love," grinned George. "He'll have him chasing snitches before he's four!"

"Does Kingsley still think his plan can work, love?" Fred asked Hermione, knowing that she wanted to finish her story, and she nodded.

"Yes. Yesterday, he told me he's persuaded the Wizengamot to agree that, if he can get a clear enough sign of support by the end of the month, they'll give him until Christmas before casting a final vote. The Ball is on the thirty-first," she reminded them, "so that gives us just over two weeks to … well, I feel like saying that gives us just over two weeks to win a stay of execution."

"Are we doing enough? That was George.

Hermione turned to him. "I do keep thinking that we might need to give Kingsley more help. I know he only asked Fred and I to be his poster couple, but I think we could do more to drum up support on the ground."

"I know exactly what you mean," Fred said, "and I agree. If we want him to succeed, we need to get behind him. Even more than we have been doing."

"Well," said Hermione, "even if we can just get the date in a basket stuff onto the shelves, I think that would help a bit. But ideally, we need to have it out early next week, if we can. Maybe even decorate the shop and make it a thing?" she asked. "And then you two," she indicated the twins, "could use your natural charm to encourage people to get behind Kingsley and his plan. On the street, so to speak."

"That could really work," said Angelina. "Most of the wizarding community must have at least one family member going to Diagon Alley each week..."

George nodded. "We're already behind him and encouraging friends," he said, causing Fred to grin again.

"Yeah," said Fred, "so we just need to step it up for a bit and do what we can to help through the shop as well. Once the ball is rolling and there's a groundswell of support for Kingsley's approach, hopefully the Wizengamot will back off."

"That's exactly what Kingsley wants," said Hermione.

"We've already told Lee and Vee we'll be in and out on Friday anyway," George said, more to himself than anyone else, "because of pizza night. I'll message Lee later and tell him to draft in reinforcements. That'll mean that we can be out on the streets during the speech … if the Alley will be full of people then they'll probably need some help anyway. We'd better send the two of them somewhere nice for dinner, as their reward," he finished with a grin. "It can be their second date!"

"Ha!" Fred replied. "That's a good idea! Better think of somewhere Verity will like though…"

"Verity's a good example of someone who can see that there's a need to encourage marriage but isn't very pleased about it," Hermione said slowly. She wanted to be careful not to over share what she knew about the older witch's feelings for Lee.

Angelina sighed. "It's a tricky one, for sure," she said. George looked at her, but thought better of saying anything about their own situation. It was complex and he truly had no idea how she felt about it. But, as they would have the whole of the next weekend to be alone together and chat, he decided that the conversation could wait. He felt himself relax further as he thought about the idea of having a whole long weekend to just be with his witch and talk about what they both wanted for the future. Maybe they could play their part, even if it meant not having the full bonding that George would have liked.

"At least we Weasleys will be setting a good example, along with our Mr Potter, of course!" said Fred, causing both George and Angelina to look down at their plates, clearly not wanting to be put on the spot. Fred saw their reaction, mentally kicked himself but then recovered it quickly. "Now, if we can just get Ronnikins' arse into gear…"

"What's happening there?" asked George, reassuring Fred through the bond and happy to be able to change the subject away from his own relationship.

"Hmmmm," said Hermione, "until the details of the plan for everyone who needs to finish their education are released on Monday, I'm not sure we can really speculate. It's a bit inappropriate to expect those who will be affected by that to make any long-term plans when they can't be sure of the consequences..."

Fred's eyes were dark and lustful. "I'm never going to get tired of you using long words," he said slowly, reaching for Hermione's waist.

She cuddled into him and the four chatted about other topics for another half an hour before deciding that it was time to go home. Once they had paid their bill, kissed George and Ange goodbye and climbed back onto Fred's broom, Hermione whispered into his ear. "Do you think that went OK?" she asked. "I always feel we need to be a bit careful with the relationship conversation with Georgie and Ange. I'm worried we might make it worse."

"I'm his twin," Fred huffed. "How can I make it worse?" He didn't much like the idea that he might make things difficult, but Hermione could tell from their bond connection that his mood was the result of his own worry that he hadn't been as tactful as he could have been. She marvelled – again – at the way in which their bond staved off even the smallest of arguments by enabling them to feel the other's emotions and intentions and to realise that there was often a good intention behind seemingly thoughtless or negative actions.

"You never would on purpose, sweetheart, I know," she reassured him, "and the fact that we're going to put all our energy into helping will be more than enough." Smiling at Fred, she decided to throw caution to the wind and prioritise fun over fear by turning a whole hundred and eighty degrees on the broom and installing herself in Fred's lap, facing him. His eyes grew wide as she leaned backwards and swung each of her legs over his thighs before wrapping her arms tightly around him, pressing her breasts to his chest.

"Really?" he asked.

Hermione laughed. "Are you referring to my comment about George or my current position?" she teased.

"Both!"

"Yes, really and yes, really," she smiled, kissing his neck. "Yes, of course you'd never hurt Georgie on purpose, and he's hiding it so well, even from you. Maybe especially from you in some ways." Then her voice grew teasing again. "And yes; this was your fantasy, so let's try it. Do you think it could work?"

"I'm up for trying if you are," he said, "but don't kiss me like that again while we're in the air or I really won't be able to control my actions!"

"That wasn't my plan," she told him, tipping her pelvis backwards a bit so that she could curl more closely into Fred's chest. She nuzzled her head into his neck and pressed her body against his; her arms held tightly around him so that he could put his own arms around her body and control the broom.

"Bloody hell, 'Mione," he murmured. "This is fucking awesome… I'm never going to make it to London like this, though." He thought for a moment. "Can I fly you to The Burrow and then apparate, love?" He looked a bit sheepish. "In my fantasy, our moonlit flight always took us home to The Burrow."

"Of course, sweetheart." Hermione's heart swelled for the fact that Fred felt able to share his deepest hopes, dreams and fantasies with her.

They flew in silence for a while, enjoying the fact that it was just the two of them, their breathing synchronised and their bodies close. Each stared at the stars, and then Fred heard Hermione's voice whispering into his ear. "Always wanted to do it on top of the Astronomy Tower, you know? Always thought that would be very romantic."

"On top as in on the roof?"

"Mmmmm hmmmm."

Fred was impressed. "We'd need to take my broom…"

"Then we'll take your broom!"

He chuckled. If only he could send this image and the conversation back in time to his fifteen-year-old self. "I've always wanted to try the roof at The Burrow," he confessed. "Georgie and I heard Bill and Charlie talking about taking girls up there one time, and always thought it would be one to tick off my list…"

Hermione leaned back so quickly that Fred had to tighten his grip on the broom. "Oh Gods, shall we?" Her eyes were wide, and Fred's darkened in response. He immediately tipped the broom a little more, increasing their speed.

"We shall," he whispered into her ear. "We'll have to be quiet though."

They were very quiet. Hermione cast a couple of noise-dampening charms around them as they made the final approach and Fred managed to land them on The Burrow's roof without making more than a tiny thud, deliberately choosing the side away from Molly and Arthur's bedroom. They both froze for a moment, waiting for any evidence that his parents had heard then. When everything remained quiet, he quickly stripped off his shirt and transfigured it into a large, soft mattress which he lay on the sloping roof.

"How's this going to work?" Hermione asked, adding a sticking charm to the mattress so it didn't slide off.

"No idea," he said, "but it'll be fun trying!"

Try as they might, though, success wasn't forthcoming. They giggled for half an hour but neither managed to get anywhere close to their peak. They spent the first ten minutes trying different positions, and Fred even managed to get inside Hermione for a few thrusts while she lay on her side, but the slope of the roof and the fact that they were wary of making noise (because Fred knew full well that Arthur had laid down counterspells to certain silencing charms during the war, ensuring that The Burrow could not be crept up on) were somewhat inhibiting. As soon as he tried to move, the tiles began to creak, so they abandoned that position in favour of trying another.

Next, Hermione suggested that Fred lay down on his back on the mattress and let her go on top, but even after a month of having sex in all manner of places and positions, she kept slipping down the sloping roof. Fred offered to put a sticking charm on her knees, which just made her giggle and then slip another few inches towards the gutter.

"In your fantasy," she whispered into Fred's ear, "how did this work?"

"I don't know, love," he smiled back, kissing her cheek. "It just did. There's no gravity in my fantasy, and the parents weren't home!"

In the end, they gave up on sex, instead cuddling together on their backs with their knees bent and sticking charms on their feet to prevent them slipping further down the tiles. They held hands, gazing at the stars and just enjoying each others's company.

"I guess the Astronomy Tower roof's out then," Fred said, a bit wistfully. "That's even steeper than this one."

Hermione smiled. "There'll be other places, Fred," she reassured him. "We've barely started yet."

He squeezed her hand. "You ready to go home, love?"

"I am," she said. "Can you side-along me though? I'm tired…"

"Of course…" He pointed his wand at the mattress, reclaimed his shirt and carefully sent his broom back to the appropriate shed before taking Hermione in his arms and apparating them to their flat.

"Can I be very domestic?" Hermione asked.

"Of course," Fred said. "What do you want, love?"

It turned out that she wanted a cup of tea in bed, a chat and a cuddle. As far as Fred was concerned, that was the best offer he'd had all day.


	63. The birth of an idea

On Thursday morning, the shop was busy from the moment Lee opened the doors. And not just because they were a staff member down due to George's promised lay-in with Angelina, but Diagon Alley seemed to be full of people again, although Hermione could not work out why.

"I was," she told Verity, with the emphasis on the 'was', "going to sneak off today … but this is crazy!" She waved her arm in the direction of the largest group of customers, and Verity nodded.

"It's almost as busy as the Saturday before school starts!" she said. "There's no predicting it these days!"

Hermione raised her hand in acknowledgement as she ran to the stockroom for the sixth time since she had gone downstairs that morning. She was well aware that, as the most junior member of the team, she was the least useful on the shop floor, so she had let Verity, Lee and Fred know that she was happy to serve as their runner. For two or three hours, she restocked shelves, wrapped purchases, made up a few pygmy puff care kits for proud new owners and delivered tea and biscuits to the workers.

"You're a bloody marvel," Lee told her, "keeping me watered on a day like this."

Hermione smiled in acknowledgement. "It's good to see the place so busy," she said, and he nodded in agreement.

"It's been up and down since the war, but when it's up, it's REALLY up," he said, taking a big gulp of his drink while there was a temporary lull in customers wanting to pay him for their purchases. It was another hot day, and he needed the hydration. "It seems like it's been long enough now that people are starting to relax."

Hermione hummed in agreement. She was certainly starting to feel that way herself. Not that she didn't have her moments – like the one in Hogsmeade yesterday – but she was feeling more relaxed in general; less on her guard. She no longer grabbed for her wand when Fred turned over and reached to cuddle her in bed or let out a loud snore in the night. These days, she was more likely to smile, snuggle into him and breathe more deeply, relaxing into his body. After their tea and a chat on the sofa the previous night, they had slipped down into their cosy bed together. Turned on by their proximity, the kisses they had shared on the beanbag and their abandoned attempt at making love on the roof, they both knew that they needed each other, despite their tiredness. Fred had spooned Hermione from behind and whispered soft words as he had gently moved her top leg and entered her from behind while reaching around for her with his long, clever, gentle fingers. The sex had been slow and tender, and they had both let a few tears slip as they came, one after the other, before falling asleep in the same position.

"You OK, love?" Lee's words brought Hermione back into the present, and she nodded.

"I was miles away, Lee," she told him.

Lee's eyes flashed and Hermione could see that he was about to make some sort of cheeky announcement. "Don't," she said, with a smile, "at least not if you want me to help you get a few more dates…" Her eyebrows raised in the twins' favourite gesture.

"Ooooooh," he leaned in. "Bribery? I like it! He's clearly rubbing off on you."

Hermione gave him a suggestive look. "Something like that!"

Lee looked over to the other cash register, where Verity was helping a tall witch who was juggling three children and their purchases. "Do you think I've got a chance," he asked softly, "or am I just making a fool of myself?"

She followed his gaze, watching Verity and recalling her conversation with the older witch. "I think you've got every chance, Lee," she said. "Just don't push too hard. The Ministry is putting pressure on us all, and everyone's going to respond differently." She turned to her former house mate, putting her hand on his arm. "You're a great catch, Lee Jordan," she said. "You're kind, and hard working, and you're lovely with people. And funny," she added, with a soft smile. "I value funny much more than I used to!" She patted his arm. "Fred and George seem to be in full matchmaking mode with everyone they know now," and it was Lee's turn to smile at that, "so you'll have no shortage of help from them trying to set you up together on dates."

Lee chuckled a bit at that.

"Let them do the pushing, that's my advice. That's the logical thing to do, anyway. You should just be your normal, lovely, charming self. Tell her the truth about how you feel about her but that you wish you could have things happen in their own time. That way, you'll both be on the same side, and hopefully she won't be able to resist."

Lee leaned in towards her. "Granger-Weasley shoots, and scores," he declared, giving her a small bow. "Thanks, love."

"You are most welcome," she said, showing him the cold drink that was in her robes pocket, "and now I must off and take your love her favourite sugary fizz … we can't have her wilting on the job, can we?"

When George appeared just after ten o'clock, he had been momentarily surprised to see the rush, but he jumped right in, working with Fred in the back room on the creation of products that they were running low on. When the clock struck one, however, George emerged back into the shop and went halfway up the spiral stairs so he could see all the staff.

"Wheezes staff," he said, in a loud voice, "out of ten, show your hands."

Without looking up from the customer she was chatting to, Verity held both her hands in the air, showing George seven fingers. He turned to Lee, who appeared to be watching Verity for a cue and then held up six of his own fingers. Lastly, George searched out Hermione, who was looking at him in confusion. Grinning in realisation, he jumped down again and headed to where she was tidying some shelves.

"I'm asking them how much they need a break, love," he said, "out of ten. Where one is not at all and ten is, well it's bloody amazing that I'm still here at all… It's our way of making sure that we don't end up with anyone on the floor who's too stressed when it's busy." He looked thoughtful, and then leaned in. "Though you'll find that Lee usually says he needs a break less than Verity, bless him!"

"Oh," Hermione laughed, "Well I don't need a break; I'm OK. I'm quite enjoying it, actually. It's nice to be busy, and it's helping me learn more about the shop is laid out, but it's slowing down now it's lunchtime."

"Can you come with me for a mo?" he asked, walking towards Verity and, when he neared the till, sent her for a break and took over attending customers. He indicated for Hermione to sit on the stool beside him, and she did. "Freddie needs more labels," he said, reaching under the counter. "Would you mind taking them back? But that's your last shop running job for today," he said, making Hermione raise her eyebrows. Then he leaned in, to speak into her ear. "No sex though; we're too busy for that!"

"Congratulations, you two," said an elderly witch, as she reached the front of the queue before the slightly blushing Hermione could respond to George's request. "Such lovely pictures in the paper!" she exclaimed. "And what a love story!" Her eyes were glossy, and Hermione looked at George, wondering whether it was, on this occasion, better to be honest and tell the witch that George wasn't the twin she had married, or to just smile and say thank you.

George chose the latter option. "You're very kind, thank you," he said, "and I hope you enjoy your dungbombs."

"Oh they're not for me," she exclaimed. "My grandson asked me to get them for his birthday." She looked at the brightly coloured package. "I have no idea what they are, but he says he needs them for his party. How times change!"

Hermione and George both managed to keep a straight face and nod politely until the lady had left. Then George turned to Hermione. "Are you going to tell me off for not telling her?" he asked.

"Nope," said Hermione, hopping off her stool. "I'm really not. The wizarding world needs more grandmother-purchased dungbombs, if you ask me. I am, however," she told him, brandishing the labels, "off to deliver these for you and kiss the Weasley twin I actually married. Then I'm going to do some product work and errands, if you can manage now?"

George looked around. "I'd say we can, thanks, love. Are you going anywhere near the Ministry on your errands?"

"I can, if you need me to?" Hermione said.

"I talked to Fred a while ago," he said, "and we think it's best to ask Dad to do the enlargement spell on the roof for tomorrow evening. He's really good at them," George explained. "Had years of practice!"

Hermione smiled. That was certainly true; the Weasleys had not been financially wealthy, and Arthur had needed to combine wood, wits and enlargement spells each time there was a new addition to the family. The expansion of living areas was one of his specialities.

"I'm on it," she said. "What time would you like him?"

"Anytime that works for him," George said with a shrug. "We'll be around the shop all day today, and in and out tomorrow. Freddie and I thought you should have the day off from shop work tomorrow," he added. "At least the floor and production stuff. You need to focus on whatever Kingsley needs from you, and the bigger plan. We'll run through the plan for the weekend with you; we just don't want you bogged down in the day to day."

Hermione opened her mouth to protest but George continued before she could get a word out.

"I mean it, love. You need some time to yourself as well, we know." He gently put a finger on her lips when she looked like she might argue with that. "Look," he said, "this is coming out wrong. I should have let Fred talk to you! What I'm trying to say is that we really appreciate your help on the shop floor when it's busy, but we can hire people to run around and Lee has a couple of casual staff coming in for a few days. We need you in a management role, love. We're going to be at it over the weekend, if we're going to launch the new line next week, and we don't want to wear you out or waste your skills, 'Mione."

"Oh, OK." That did make sense to Hermione.

"Vee and Lee will be fine again on the floor tomorrow, and they'll have help," George continued, "and Freddie and I are going to have a products and potions day in the back. You've got this thing with Kingsley, and that's going to take some time. So all we need from you, if you don't mind, is to sort a time with Dad to do the roof, and maybe work out with Freddie so that one of you will be upstairs when the food order arrives?" George paused, to check that Hermione was with him, and she nodded.

"Sounds great," she said. "I'll talk to your dad, and he and I can make a plan together. And I will stick to management and let others run around the shop!"

When she arrived in the back, Hermione was amazed to see Fred surrounded by boxes and cauldrons of product. They were stacked from floor to ceiling in some places.

"How have you done all this so quickly?" she asked incredulously, handing him the labels for which she was rewarded with a kiss.

"Ah," he laughed, "this is what we were trying to tell you before. We've pretty much perfected our mass production methods now; it's the packing that takes the time. This lot," he indicated the stacked cauldrons, "took a couple of hours to make, and I packaged what we needed to replenish the stock that we had run out of this morning, but it'll take three times that long to pack and label the rest. Well, at least they will if it's just us doing it. That's why we're trying to think of ways of shortening that…"

"With the family packing thing," Hermione finished.

"Exactly. Figure we'll ask everyone tomorrow and, if they're up for it, take this lot over Sunday and anyone who is up for it can come early and help." He smiled, looking as if he had something slightly naughty in mind. "We just need to figure out appropriate payment!"

Hermione chuckled, deciding not to ask what Fred thought that would entail; it might be more fun to find out when the rest of the family did. And, she realised with a smile, what she didn't know ahead of time, she couldn't be held responsible for by anyone else.

Fred jumped off his stool. "I'm off to put in a mega supply order though," he said, kissing Hermione. "I've been meaning to do it for a while, and it's getting a bit close to the bone now!"

"Where are you headed?" she asked. "I'm going to the Ministry."

"Just up the Alley," Fred said. "But why don't you walk with me," he offered his hand, "and you can apparate from there?"

Hands entwined, they strolled through Diagon Alley together, looking at each other with smiles as they realised that they were attracting positive attention from some of the shoppers. The articles in the paper had been making a thing of their love story all week, so Hermione supposed it wasn't surprising that people would want to stop and congratulate them as they passed. Whereas before she might have balked at the attention, however, Hermione soon realised that this was a golden opportunity to share some positive messages about Kingsley's plan.

"It's just so important," she told one group of smiling witches, "that we focus on repopulation now … we need more witches and wizards," she urged, looking around the group as she leaned against Fred's side, "so it's imperative that we build families!"

"Get you, politician Granger-Weasley," Fred teased gently as they passed a group of smiling teenage wizards. "It'll be your turn soon, lads," he called to them with a friendly wink. "Check out our shop next week for ideas to help you attract the witch of your dreams!"

They kissed goodbye at the first of the stores that Fred needed to visit and Hermione let Fred know that she would be back at the flat once she had seen Arthur.

"I don't know which of us will make it back first, love," he said, winding a curl of her hair around his finger as they said farewell, "but I'll see you when I see you and we'll figure out what this evening holds."

When Hermione arrived at the Ministry, she looked around, awed as ever by the size of the building, before making her way to Arthur's department. Her father-in-law was seated at his desk, enthusing with a colleague about some silver muggle discs that he had confiscated from a group of young wizards for closer inspection.

"You should ask Lauren to play you those," Hermione said, with a smile. "They have music on. I'm sure she would have the right kind of machine to show you."

Arthur's face couldn't have lit up more brightly if he was standing next to one of George and Fred's giant fireworks. "Really?" he asked, almost breathless with excitement, causing Hermione to nod and laugh. "Did you know, Betsy," he told his colleague, leaning in close as if it were a great secret, "that one of my sons is with … a … muggle!" He almost whispered the last word, so reverent was he of Lauren's muggle status. "And," he continued lecturing the patient and long-suffering woman who had worked with him for many years now, "I have a grandson and … he … is … half … muggle!"

Having made his declaration, Arthur stood proudly upright. He couldn't have been happier if he announced that his grandson was the Minister of Magic himself, or perhaps the chosen one.

"I think you may have mentioned it once or twice, Arthur," Betsy replied, with a smile at Hermione. "Ms Granger … Weasley? I'm not sure what to call you now?" she said, looking slightly apologetic.

"Oh," Hermione said, "it's Granger-Weasley, actually, but please call me Hermione!"

The woman nodded. "Alright. Well I was just about to get myself some tea; would you like me to get one for you too?"

"Thank you, no," said Hermione. "I just came to ask you a quick question", she said to her father-in law. "Fred and George are wondering if you would come to the flat and enlarge the roof garden for us for tomorrow night? They think we're going to need about half as much space again, though they thought you would be the best judge of that. Everyone's coming, as far as we know."

"But of course," said Arthur, who loved to be needed by his children just as much as Molly did. "Shall we do it now?" he asked. "I like to go to Diagon Alley now and again just for a check around, so I can come with you and then walk back."

"Alright," said Hermione, a bit surprised at his enthusiasm, but happy to be crossing another job off her list. They bid Betsy farewell, walked down to the atrium and then apparated together to the roof itself, where Arthur made short work of enlarging the different sections of the roof garden so that all the Weasleys and their family would easily fit in.

"Do you want it to be permanent?" he had asked, transfiguring a few extra sofas and filling them with more brightly-coloured cushions as if this was a normal, everyday thing to do, but Hermione had no idea.

"I think maybe for the rest of the summer would be good, but once the autumn comes I can't really see us being out here other than to look after the plants," she said.

Arthur nodded. "Good point, though I was thinking that, if we left it this size, you could put some winter vegetables in here," he remarked, nodding to the wooden planters that she had scattered about. "You've got the space, and these would keep you in greens when it's cold…"

Hermione looked at him, suddenly overwhelmed by his ingenuity, resourcefulness and tenacity. Here was a man who had raised a large family on an average salary, stood against a great many people who thought his views wrong and still managed to instil wonderful values in his children. Her own parents had never had to grow their own vegetables or think about how they would feed her through the winter, and she had such enormous respect for this wizard.

"I love you, Arthur," she mumbled into his chest as she walked straight into his arms. "You're such a good man."

"Why, Hermione," he said, a little surprised, but enormously pleased. "I love you too, dear. I'm very happy to have you as an official daughter now. Though you've been unofficially my daughter in my eyes for a long time now."

"That's good then," Hermione smiled, touched by his words. She nudged him with her elbow, a cheeky smile on her face. "Though I know I need to step it up if I'm going to keep up with the impressiveness of your full muggle daughter," she teased him.

His eyes lit up as he laughed at her response. "I'm hoping she will let me visit soon!" he declared, almost unable to contain his excitement. "I can't wait to look round her house!"

"Oh, Arthur!" Hermione was tempted to apparate him into Lauren's garden on the spot, just to see the look on his face, but two things stopped her. One, it wasn't fair to Lauren to just turn up with company. Lauren had made it clear that Hermione and the twins were welcome to apparate into the garden and visit whenever they pleased, but she hadn't explored how Lauren felt about the rest of the family having the ability to appear in her space at will. And two: Molly. Molly was probably just as excited about visiting Lauren's cottage as her husband, and Hermione felt it would be somehow unfair to take one without the other. It felt a bit like the other day, when she had made Fred wait until George was out of the shower so that they could escort her to the shop together. That was something one needed to carefully consider when part of such a large family; the importance of not leaving people out.

"I'll talk to Lauren the next time I see her and ask her if I can bring you over sometime soon," Hermione suggested. Arthur beamed.

"That will be just lovely!" he said. "That would be the icing on the biscuit of my week," he told her, looking around before he leaned in. "I've had a brilliant week already, and I can't tell you why, because Molly will skin me if I spoil the surprise, but," he looked around again and tapped the side of his nose with his finger, "all will be revealed tomorrow evening. Pizza night!" He almost bounced on the spot when he said the word 'pizza' and, in that moment, Hermione made a decision. If Molly coped with being a guest and not the hostess, she would talk to Fred, George, Lauren and the others about whether they should host more muggle evenings for the Weasley family. It really was the least that they could do to repay Arthur and Molly Weasley for everything they had done for them all and for the wizarding world over the years.


	64. Visiting Lauren

After Hermione had escorted Arthur back through the flat and shop, she walked a little way through Diagon Alley with him, waving again to well-wishers, although finding that she attracted less attention when she was with Fred's dad than with the good-looking wizard himself. She kissed Arthur gently on the cheek before they parted company and completed a few quick errands before going back home. It was late afternoon, and Hermione had had enough of the heat. She also knew that they had some preparations to make that evening and no plan for dinner. She made a quick stop in the workroom to check, finalise and bottle a potion that she had been making for Molly and then, seeing that Fred wasn't around, headed straight up the stairs to their living area.

When she entered the living room of the flat, Hermione saw that Fred was lounging on his back on the sofa; his feet hanging over the arm while he used the fingers of both hands to gently stroke and tickle a ball of purple and pink fluff that was snuggling on his tummy.

"Oh no," Hermione laughed gently, putting the potion bottle on the coffee table and moving closer to him. "What did you do to Graham? Are you testing hair changing potions on the pygmy puffs in lieu of first years, or did he accidentally get into something he shouldn't?"

"Neither of the above, my lovely but overly suspicious wife," Fred replied with a smile. "I thought it was mean to make him be the only puff up here, so I took him down to the shop and let him pick a girlfriend…"

"Oh Gods…" Hermione didn't know whether to laugh, cry or melt at the gesture. Instead, she sat on the edge of the sofa beside Fred and stroked the little pink puff that was snuggled up to Graham. "Does your matchmaking know no bounds?" she asked, and he raised his eyebrows.

"Just doing our bit! And it's a good way for Elliot to learn about the birds and the bees, too," he winked.

"Oh, I'm sure Lauren will be very pleased with you," Hermione chuckled. "I was actually going to email her," she said, looking around the room, "to ask if she had a pizza cutter … I don't know if you'll know what that is, but after I saw your dad I realised it might be fun to use some muggle things tomorrow."

"That does sound fun," Fred said, shifting his long legs so that he could sit upright. "Though I'll pop over and ask her in person, if you like, love … George and I were just talking about nipping over there quickly and asking her for help getting the pizzas anyway. It's slowed again downstairs and Lee's got some help in now. So we've left him to it and we're getting organised," he told Hermione. He lifted his head up to check for George's whereabouts before continuing. "And I think Georgie wants to ask Lauren about having a chat, too."

"Oh, great idea," said Hermione. After her conversation with Arthur, she had been thinking about Lauren while she was walking about. Hermione was still very conscious of how weird Lauren must be finding their world – not least because she still vividly remembered her own experience of meeting Minerva McGonagall and then encountering more and more of the wizarding world as an eleven-year-old – and was doing everything she could to include the muggle woman and have her not feel overwhelmed by the magic. "Your dad has done the roof already," she said, although she realised that Fred and George had figured that out from the images that she was sending through the bond earlier in the day.

Fred leaned forward to give Hermione a kiss and handed her the two snuggling pygmy puffs. "Thanks, lovely. Here, have a romance," he winked.

"We'll talk about what to have for dinner when you get back then, shall we?" Hermione called, as he strode towards the stairs that led to the shop. "Yes, Hermione," she said to the puffs when Fred didn't answer. "That's a good plan, Hermione…" She felt a wave of affection through her bond seconds before his voice boomed up the stairs, aided by a sonorous charm.

"Yes, and I love you, Hermione!"

"Oh," she said to the snuggling puffs, "well that's good then. Now, shall we make you two a nice comfy bed together?"

Twenty minutes later, though, she wasn't sure it had been such a great idea after all. There was no sign of Fred, George or a pizza cutter. Hermione huffed a bit, not wanting to make all the food-related decisions herself. Deciding that it would be nice to have a cup of tea with Lauren, anyway, she lifted her wand and apparated to Lauren's garden, in search of her wizard.

In the cottage's living room, Elliot was so engrossed in watching the DVD with his dad and uncles that he didn't even give Lauren the usual warning 'whooosh' as Hermione apparated into the garden, so Lauren was pleasantly surprised to see her friend appear at the back door. "Come in," she whispered, "you need to see this; it's very lovely…"

The quietness of her voice let Hermione know to tiptoe, and she softly put her bag on the kitchen worksurface before following Lauren towards the living room. When they reached the open doorway, Hermione just managed to stop herself from laughing out loud at the sight of four redheads sitting on the carpet in a row, all cross legged and all transfixed by the film playing on the television.

"Oh," she whispered … "The Jungle Book … I used to love that!"

Lauren smiled. "It's one of Elliot's favourites too, and it looks like he's made some new fans."

Hermione shook her head, smiling. Elliot was sat close to Charlie, his hand on his dad's thigh, with Fred and George on his other side. Both of the twins raised an arm to wave a greeting when they felt Hermione near, but neither turned their head from the screen; too engrossed in the action.

"Tea?" Lauren asked, and Hermione nodded.

"Thank you, that would be great. Fred came to ask if you had a pizza cutter that we could borrow for tomorrow evening," she said, as Lauren put the kettle on.

"I do," Lauren said, opening a couple of different drawers and fishing around in them before making a noise which indicated success and brandishing a silver-coloured wheel. "Can you not cut it with your wands, though?"

"Yes, we could," Hermione smiled, "but we want to go for the authentic experience. Could even make everyone give up their wands upon arrival, like Fred did last week, just for the fun of having a muggle night. What do you think?"

Lauren laughed. "By all means if you think it would be fun, but there's no need on my account, lovely. If only it would work in reverse too, and you could hold a witch night on which I could have a wand and do spells," she joked.

Hermione looked at her, not sure how serious Lauren was. It must be very odd to be the only person in such a large family who couldn't do magic, she thought again, and she didn't imagine that anyone had really asked Lauren how she felt about that. It didn't really seem appropriate to have that conversation today, with everyone around, but Hermione made a mental note to come back to it sometime when it was just her and Lauren. In the meantime, Lauren had moved back towards the living room.

"OK, who would like tea?" she asked. Charlie, George and Fred all raised their arms, still engrossed in the DVD.

"Who would like beena?" she asked next, and all three of them raised their hands again, along with Elliot.

Lauren frowned slightly. "OK, who would like to cancel their request for tea now they know that beena is an option?" The three men's hands went up again.

"And lastly, who knows what beena is?" Just Elliot and Charlie's hands went up that time, and Lauren couldn't stop herself from laughing. "It'd serve you two right if I gave you liquidised pea juice," she said to the back of Fred and George's heads, wandering back into the kitchen as Hermione settled herself onto a sofa.

"Is that what beena is?" George asked Charlie, looking a bit queasy.

His elder brother shook his head. "No, silly. It's lovely. It's blackcurrant juice, and Elliot and I like it a lot. We're not allowed it every day though," he grinned at George. "Just on special occasions, and sometimes when we have visitors."

"You should come more, Forgie," Elliot informed him. "I like beena."

"We will," Fred told him. "I like DVDs. You should get Grandad over for a DVD, by the way," he said, directing his words more to Lauren, though it was Charlie who answered.

"Gods, can you imagine?" he said, laughing. "He'd never leave."

"Yeah, but you two could probably take a weekend off. Go to Romania or something."

Charlie looked over his shoulder at Lauren, who was standing in the kitchen doorway, waiting for the kettle to boil. She raised her eyebrows with a small smile that Hermione couldn't read and, when Lauren turned to go and get glasses out of the cupboard, Hermione stood again and followed her.

"Is everything alright?" she asked Lauren.

"Yeah, we're good," Lauren replied. "It's been lovely this week. It's just that Charlie needs to go back to Romania on Sunday evening. He's supposed to work next week and he wants to hand in his notice in person…" she trailed off, unsure whether this was a good time for Hermione.

"Talk to me," said Hermione. "Actually," she leaned forward to lift the glasses that Lauren had filled with ribena, "let me deliver these and then talk to me…"

"Just so you know," she told the four of them as she handed out the drinks in the living room, "Lauren and I are not waitresses, and tomorrow evening it will be our turn to laze about while you lot bring us morsels of pizza and glasses of wine to the sofa of our choice…"

"Fair enough, my lady," Charlie said, as Fred and George saluted their thanks. Hermione turned on her heel with a cheeky wink at her husband, whose gaze followed her as far as the kitchen door until his twin poked him in the side before he missed a good bit of the film.

"So he needs to go back and discuss how he's going to work out his notice," Lauren began, once Hermione had rejoined her, "though he's got so much leave built up that we don't know how long he'll actually need to work. Technically, he could take leave for the whole of his notice period, he's got that much due, but he doesn't want to do that if it'll leave his boss or the reserve in the lurch. But even once we find out how long he needs to be there, and when, we're still not quite sure how to work it for the best…"

Hermione nodded. "So you're playing a waiting game."

"Exactly," Lauren said. "I'll feel better once we know what the timeframe is. And I'd like to be there next week. Not just because I like to be with him," she raised her eyebrows and smiled a little at that, "but I'd like to take my diary and be a part of the conversation around dates and the timing of his leaving." She sipped her tea. "It's not like babysitting is a problem," she continued. "Molly has offered to have Elliot while I work, and he's doing great there." She grinned. "I need to find another outlet for all the cake he brings back, mind you, else I'll have diabetes before I'm thirty, but that's a minor issue."

Hermione chuckled. "It'll always get eaten at the shop, if you don't want it to go to waste. Lee and Verity love Molly's baking, and they're employing more staff this week, as things have got really busy."

"Oh that's an idea; I'll bear that in mind!" Lauren replied, and then she lowered her voice to explain her situation. "Charlie wants me to go back with him Sunday; to see where he lives and meet his colleagues. I could do that; I've managed to get ahead of my work this week anyway, and I can write while he works. He's got permission to take me, but Elliot wouldn't be able to come this time; that would need more organising."

Hermione was nodding. This didn't sound like it would be difficult to solve; there were plenty of Weasleys who would love to help with Elliot, and she was confident that Elliot would be fine with that. It also crossed her mind that, as Arthur, Bill and Charlie's boss were all able to authorise and make portkeys, it wouldn't be hard for Lauren and Charlie to see Elliot for an afternoon or evening partway through the week, one way or another, if Lauren was concerned about being away from her little boy for too long. "Go on," she encouraged Lauren.

"Charlie would like the two of us to go back to the hotel where we met for a night as well, and I'd love that, but all of that would mean leaving Elliot here for a few days, and I – well, I feel a bit weird about that…"

"He'd be in very safe hands," Hermione reassured her, "and there are a lot of us, don't forget, so you wouldn't be putting on anybody. When Molly and Arthur need a break, there's Fred and I, and I'm sure Bill and Fleur would love to practice… And George would help too, and…"

"It's not that," Lauren said, shaking her head before Hermione could list any more potential babysitters. "I'm probably making a mountain out of a molehill, but for nearly two and a half years it was just the two of us, and we were barely apart. I love that you've all come into my life and that I get a bit of a break, but I just … well," she paused to sip her tea. "I just feel guilty about it, actually; like I'm trying to fob off my child every night so I can have sex, or something." She looked up at Hermione, half grinning but also wanting to check that she could be this honest with her, and was reassured to see the young witch still nodding, a look of sympathy and understanding on her face.

"I wish you could meet my mum," Hermione said, looking wistful. "Well, maybe you will one day… She talks about something she calls 'mother guilt'. Which, as far as I understand it, is the emotion that some women feel when they want to do anything for themselves. My parents are both dentists. They owned a practice together and they juggled work with looking after me. Well, when I went to boarding school, some of my Mum's friends were weird about it. They knew nothing about me being a witch, of course, and that boarding school was the norm for us; they assumed it was my mum being selfish by packing me off there so she could have more time to herself." Hermione shook her head, still feeling the unfairness of it. "But no-one ever said my dad was selfish!"

Lauren made a noise which indicated her understanding and experience of the same kind of attitude.

"…and yet the situation was exactly the same," Hermione continued. "They did the same job and worked the same hours and everything, and yet my mum was always judged for it, and my dad never was. Isn't that something you look at in your work? It sounds like the sort of thing you'd know about?"

A look of wonder had crossed Lauren's face as Hermione was speaking. "Gods," she said, shaking her own head and causing Hermione to smile again at the muggle woman's adoption of their wizarding term, "you're so right." She was lost in thought for a moment, and then pulled a face. "I'm so much better at lecturing others than I am at taking my own advice," she laughed. "Really, if Elliot's alright with it, and you're all alright with it, then I shouldn't give it a second thought." She took a deep breath and sighed it out. "I've not had a proper holiday since I went to Romania and met Charlie."

"Then you're well overdue for one," replied Hermione. "And it'll only be for a few days."

"Yeah, though I don't know about after that. It'll be a case of how to best balance everyone's needs." She sipped her tea.

"Well you can sort that next week," said Hermione. "If it's just you and Charlie, then you'll have more headspace to think about that kind of stuff. Weigh up the value of him leaving early versus having a bit more money, that sort of thing."

"Yeah," said Lauren. "Though money isn't going to be our worry." She tipped her head to one side. "We have to iron out the cleaning and tidying differences," she rolled her eyes with a half-smile and a shake of her head, "and negotiate our need for space. Oh, and transport," she pulled a face that time, "but money isn't a problem. So that's something."

"Transport?" Hermione asked, although she was equally intrigued that Lauren had already identified 'cleaning and tidying differences' and was dying to ask what that was about as well.

Lauren lifted her tea mug again. "Yeah, we need to do some figuring out. Charlie apparates when it's just him and Elliot, or just him and me, but he's reluctant to apparate both of us at the same time. Which I understand, because I still struggle with it a bit and he wants to just take one of us at a time in case I need help after we land. And yes," she held her palms out, "I know that we could ask for help, and we'll have to have help getting to pizza night because I can't drive there and it's silly to go all the way to the café just to use the floo, but I don't want to have to constantly rely on asking someone to basically carry me." She sighed. "I'm used to being independent, Hermione; to having a car and going where I need to under my own steam. And let's not forget that I can't contact any of you in a hurry myself, other than if you and I email…"

"You can't contact us yet," clarified Hermione, gently stressing the last word. "I'm working on the phone stuff, I promise. I hope to have a solution to that within the next few days." Hopefully tomorrow, she thought to herself, but she had promised Fred and George not to jump the gun on that one.

"You still thinking of getting mobile phones for you and Charlie?" Lauren asked.

Hermione paused for a moment. She didn't want to break the twins' confidence, but she could tell that Lauren could use a bit of reassurance. "That's one option," she said slowly, "but there are other possibilities which we're considering. I don't want to say too much til I know what will work best, but I promise that I have the finest inventors of the wizarding world on the job!"

Lauren laughed, although she still looked a bit uncertain. "Alright," she said. "I'll wait patiently." Then her face lit up. "I'm loving my owl training though! I can contact people with Elena's help now, and Oswald knows how to find me, and I've exchanged notes with Molly using Pig as well!" She leaned in closer, not wanting the others to hear. "It's actually really fun; like having a post office set when I was little, but SO MUCH better!"

Hermione laughed. "I loved my post office set too," she reminisced. "Don't forget I didn't know about magic til I was eleven," she reminded Lauren, "and some of this is still relatively new to me as well."

Lauren took Hermione's hand in her own and squeezed it. "I'm adjusting," she said. "I need to. With the transport stuff, Charlie thinks we might want to consider moving somewhere that we can have a floo put in."

"That's an idea," said Hermione, not entirely sure how Lauren felt about that. Her son had been born in this cottage, after all, and that might make Lauren feel attached to it. "It would mean you and Elliot could get to Molly's or ours or, well any of the family's houses without help, even if Charlie wasn't there. You'd get more independence…"

The older woman shrugged and looked around the kitchen. "I guess I have to accept that I'll need to move," she said. "And I can … it's just a lot of change in a short time."

Hermione reached for Lauren's arm. "You know what Fred would say?"

Lauren laughed. "Yeah. He'd tell me I don't have to worry about that today."

"Worry about what?" Fred said, entering the kitchen. Clearly, the DVD had ended and they were about to be descended upon.

"About future plans; where Charlie and Elliot and I will live, that sort of thing," she told him.

Fred winked. "You know what I'm going to say, love," he grinned at Lauren. "Worry about what kind of pizza and wine you'd like tomorrow, and the rest will figure itself out in time."

"On which note…" George said.

"Yeah," Fred continued. "That's why we came. We were wondering if you could help us out?"

"We need to buy a lot of pizzas," said George.

"Yeah, and it'll be hard to carry them from the muggle pizza shop," Fred interjected.

"But," said George, making Lauren smile as she turned her head between the two, "we have to be a decent distance away from muggle areas before we can apparate…"

"So that no-one sees us…" Fred held his arms out to illustrate the problem, before George took over again.

"So, we were wondering, would you mind taking us to a pizza shop in your car and bring us and them all back here?" George gave Lauren one of his best smiles. "We can put a charm on them as soon as we're back in the car, to keep them hot."

"And then," Fred finished, putting his arm around his brother, "we can apparate you and the pizzas to our roof from your garden? And Elliot, of course, if he's with us."

"Oh," said Lauren, a wide smile growing on her face, "of course." She realised that she really liked the fact that there was something that she could to do help that the two grinning wizards couldn't do by themselves. It struck her that she had been making the assumption that their world was superior in every respect, and it was dawning on her that that wasn't the case.

"Great, thank you," Fred and George said in unison before they allowed Elliot to pull them and Charlie out into the garden to play in his sandpit.

"It's not long til bedtime, Elliot," Lauren called. "Not," she said to Hermione as she watched Elliot giving his uncles each a tool to dig with, much to their joint delight, as Charlie laughed at them from his seat on the grass, "that I'm going to be able to get him to bed with all this excitement going on!" She shrugged. "But maybe a late night tonight will mean he'll have a longer nap tomorrow, and then he's more likely to be able to stay up later and enjoy pizza night. This is all still very new," she pondered. "For all of us…"

"And it's probably redundant to point this out now," said Hermione, "but you'll be able to do just as much for all of us as we will for you." She nodded towards the twins and Charlie, who were clearly delighted with Elliot's wooden digger truck that could be used to move sand and the tiny dinosaurs that populated his sandpit. "They're just as in awe of the things you can do and access as you are of the magical world. Don't forget that."

Lauren leaned over and gave Hermione a hug. "Thanks," she said.

Hermione lifted her left hand into the air and moved her thumb up. "Ribena," she said, "as a starter." She began to move each finger as she counted off muggle things that she thought the Weasleys would love. "DVDs. Supermarket trips." Hermione rolled her eyes at that one. "Take Molly to Sainsburys' baking aisle and she'll love you forever. Same with Arthur, though he'd probably go nuts in a DIY shop." Another finger went up. "The cinema. Most muggle toys, as you can see," she laughed as she tipped her head towards the garden, where a brontosaurus was being allowed to take a turn at driving the digger. "I could go on," she said, putting her hand down, "but you probably get the point."

"I think I do," Lauren said, "and I'm very grateful. I hadn't thought of it that way."

"I was with Arthur earlier," Hermione said. "He is such an amazing man, and he loves nothing more than to engage with muggle stuff. He'd love nothing more than to visit and just look around your house; it'd be like an adventure park to him!"

Lauren laughed. "We'll set that up soon then," she promised.

"I've not had a chance to mention it to the others yet," Hermione continued, "but now that we're all of an age and working, I really think we could do more to help them, and more of these sort of evenings might be just the ticket. Give Molly a chance to relax a bit more."

"Sounds good to me," Lauren said. "What can I bring tomorrow?"

"Well," said Hermione, "you don't need to bring anything. We're getting the pizza and Molly sent an owl to say that she and Elliot are baking something." She could see that Lauren was about to protest, and she reached for the older woman's arm. "I know," she smiled, "you'd like to bring something anyway. Well, bring something muggle that we can all try a bit of. Maybe some fun size chocolate bars or, I don't know, a bottle of fizzy pop? We don't have anything like that."

Lauren's face lit up. "Brilliant idea. I need to go shopping and get chocolate for Ron anyway! He's swapping me muggle chocolate for chocolate frogs!"

Hermione laughed loudly, unsurprised that her best friend had already done that deal with their new family member.

"Take Charlie to the supermarket," she suggested, "and he'll be able to tell you which foods and drinks and treats he does and doesn't know. But don't get too much. Honestly, we'll have loads of food, and you need to pace yourself … if you go steady, you could bring a different tiny muggle treat to every gathering we have for a year!"

Lauren reached to give Hermione a hug. "You're brilliant," she said. "That's exactly what I need to do to feel that I have something special and different to offer. I'll take Charlie to Sainsburys tomorrow!"

"Well good luck with that," Hermione laughed. "I shall look forward to sitting on the sofa with you tomorrow evening hearing how it goes while our men wait on us with pizza and wine!"

Hermione was still laughing with Lauren about the idea of taking Charlie to a muggle supermarket when she caught a glimpse of red hair out of the corner of her eye. She turned to see George, looking a bit less confident than usual. A quick glance out of the window told her that Fred, Charlie and Elliot were still playing outside in Lauren's garden. Realising that George had come, as he had promised Angelina he would, to ask Lauren if he could talk to her about how he was feeling, Hermione gave Lauren a quick wink and then rubbed George's arm.

"I'll let you two chat," she said, standing on her tiptoes and giving George a kiss on the cheek before she took herself outside to give them some space.


	65. Talking with George

"Hello sweets!" Charlie looked happy when Hermione came to sit on the grass beside the sandpit with them, allowing him to give her his hand to lean on as she sat. Then he immediately turned to his brother. "What's he up to?" Charlie asked Fred. George had only mumbled something before getting up and going into the kitchen and Charlie knew he had probably had one of his silent conversations with Fred.

"Ange made him promise to ask Lauren if he could chat with her … about coping and stuff." Fred raised an eyebrow to illustrate his words. He didn't want to say too much in front of Elliot, but Charlie understood just from that.

"Oh… That's a good idea. She's not a professional or anything, but she's great to talk to. Helped me a lot when I lost a dragon," he said quietly. Elliot turned to look at his dad, which surprised Charlie a bit. He didn't think he had spoken loudly at all, but he was somewhat aware from when Ron and Ginny were little that small children often listened into adult conversation without anyone realising that they were doing so. He opened his muscular arms wide when, a few seconds later, Elliot abandoned his spade and toddled over to give Charlie a cuddle, plastering himself against his dad's chest and using his little hand to stroke Charlie's shoulder.

"Hello mate," Charlie said, and Elliot murmured a response that Charlie didn't catch.

"Are you having dinner?" Elliot asked, pulling away from his father's body and repeating himself when it became clear that Charlie hadn't heard him. He had already eaten, but was hoping that the arrival of more grown-ups would mean that the ice cream might come out of the freezer. That did sometimes happen. The other possibility was that he would be allowed to stay up later than usual.

"Of course," Charlie said, having forgotten all about food in the excitement of his brothers' arrival. "I don't know what we're going to have yet though. Your mum and I haven't got that far."

"Must be something in the air," Fred said. "We hadn't either…"

Both brothers looked through the kitchen window where Lauren was listening intently to George, her eyes focused on his and her hand on his arm. She was nodding, slowly, and then she spoke, although those outside couldn't hear what she was saying.

"I'm not sure what to do," Charlie said, a bit hesitantly. "I don't want to interrupt…"

Fred and Hermione looked each other. They weren't sure either, and George had closed the bond. But the problem was solved by Lauren who stuck her head out of the kitchen door just a few seconds later.

"George and I have a proposition for you," she said. "We're going to go for a walk together. And if one of you will help Elliot have his bath and get into his PJs, we'll walk to the fish and chip shop and bring everyone dinner back when we're done." Several faces lit up at that suggestion. "Not," she added quickly, "that we're going to make a habit of having takeaway two nights in a row," she smiled at Elliot, "but apparently it's George's favourite and this is a bit of a special week..."

"I come?" Elliot looked excited.

"No, lovely," she said. "You need your bath and I need to talk to George. But you can show everyone your bath ducks, if you like!"

"Oh Gods," said Fred to Charlie. "Does Dad know yet?" Charlie shook his head, laughing quietly. Years before, the twins had told Charlie and Bill how Arthur had asked Harry about the function of rubber ducks and all had found it great fun, although Bill had pointed out that their dad was probably just trying to put Harry at ease on his first visit to a magical house.

"Can I be here when he sees them?" Fred asked, and Charlie chuckled.

Elliot wasn't done with his line of questioning either. "Can I have a sausage?" he asked Lauren.

"Magic word?" she asked.

"Please," Elliot said.

"Then yes, you can," she said, smiling at the little boy, scribbling something down on the back of an old receipt. She took orders from the others as well, waving away Hermione's offer of money and pointing out that it was her turn to buy. "Alright," she said, "we're off," and she led George back through the kitchen, picking up her handbag from the table before leaving through the front door.

Hermione was very happy to let Charlie and Fred take charge of Elliot's bath, and she sat herself on Lauren's sofa, glad to have a few minutes out of the heat. Her eyes roved around the room, taking in Lauren's bookshelves and the wall hangings that Lauren had made, perhaps as she sat alone, pregnant with Elliot and wondering whether she would ever see Charlie again. Tears pricked Hermione's eyes as she thought of how Lauren and Charlie must each have felt after they parted, each with their own unexpected journey to undertake and neither knowing what was going on for the other or whether they would ever be reunited.

Just a couple of hundred yards away, Lauren had stopped George and pulled him along a footpath and into a small copse of trees where she led him to a bench. "No-one will see us in here," she said. "Talk to me, George," she encouraged him. "And be assured that I've held Charlie while he cried, and I'll be very happy to hold you while you have a cry too, if that's what you need." She leaned in and lowered her voice, although nobody would have heard her anyway. "Tears are a great way of releasing stress, and you always feel better afterwards."

As if on cue, George's eyes filled. "I'm a mess, love," he said, with half a smile through the tears. "No point pretending otherwise … Ange and 'Mione will tell you if I don't." He took a deep breath. "You know some of what happened in the war?"

Lauren nodded. "I'm getting the story in bits, and from different people, but I've got a good picture. I know," she spoke slowly, "that Fred was hurt by a falling wall and in a coma for a while. That must have been horrible for you," she said quietly, all the while stroking George's arm.

George nodded vigorously through his tears. "I'm still scared of losing him. Sometimes when I'm away from him, or when he closes our connection, I get panicky, and it's the same with Ange. Though not as bad," he said. "I don't know whether to feel guilty about that," he laughed.

"You don't need to feel guilty about any of it," Lauren said firmly, tipping her head under his to make eye contact with him and ensure that he had heard those words. "You feel what you feel, and that's OK, George." She waited until he nodded before softly encouraging him to continue. "Go on…"

"I wake up in the night feeling panicky. My heart races when I lie down at night and try to sleep. I cry at stupid things. I can be doing something normal and feelings come out of nowhere and overwhelm me. And sometimes I don't even know what those feelings are, like what to name them."

Lauren continued to nod as she listened to him. George looked down, not sure when the small muggle woman had taken one of his much larger hands into both of hers, entwining their fingers together, but he liked that she had. He had never had a big sister or anyone in that role until Fleur came along, but Fleur was only a year or two older than he and Fred. And, other than the fact that George loved her cooking, they didn't have many points of connection. Lauren had a few more years on them and she felt more like Bill in age and experience. He already felt that he could talk more easily to her.

George continued to describe how he felt. He told Lauren how he couldn't make sense of things; how worried he was that he was interfering with Fred and Hermione's relationship; how badly he wanted the same with Angelina but that he didn't want to push her. He explained that she wouldn't be allowed to continue to play quidditch if they bonded, and that he would never want to get in the way of her playing career.

"Before you wonder, I wanted to marry her before all of this happened," he said. "I've got a ring and everything. Bought it during the war, when things were bad. Only Freddie knows that," he added, and Lauren whispered a reassurance that no-one else would find out from her. "And," he laughed through the tears, which he was mopping with the hanky that Lauren had produced from her handbag, "he doesn't know because I told him, the nosey bastard; he knows because he's a nosey bastard."

"He's your nosey bastard, though," she said softly, making him cry harder.

"Yes, he is. I thought I'd lost him," he sobbed again. "He was crushed… The bond closed... I couldn't reach him... And they laid him in the great hall and it looked like he was gone…"

Lauren leaned forward and took him fully into her arms. If pushed, she would have confessed that she had deliberately encouraged George's tears, having got a sense that he really needed to release some of the energy that he was holding in. She wondered whether there was anyone else who he could do this with, and then realised that she didn't need to know that, and it didn't matter.

"He's OK, Georgie," she soothed; not to stop the flow of tears but to remind him. "Freddie's OK now, and he's healthy and he's going to live a long life with Hermione. Much longer than even I would have thought a few days ago," she smiled, pulling away and kissing his cheek before pulling him to her again. This time, she was quiet, just holding him while he cried and dabbed at his tears and blew his nose loudly a couple of times before apologising profusely for the noise.

"It's all good," she said. "Much better out than in!"

"You're … wonderful," he said, not quite sure how to express the depth of gratitude he felt for the woman that his brother had brought into his life just a few days before. "I'm so glad Charlie found you."

"Me too," she said, giving him another squeeze. "And I think you're pretty fab too, George Weasley. Shall we talk a bit about how you're going to manage all this stuff of yours?"

George nodded. "That's the bit Angie and 'Mione thought you could help with. They said you'd been through something similar."

Lauren tipped her head to one side. "A bit," she said. "I lost both my parents very suddenly, just over six years ago."

George's eyes filled with tears again. "See, I'm just like a girl," he joked, winning himself a sharp look from Lauren, before her face collapsed back into a smile.

"Now, none of that rubbish," she said, "or I'll have Charlie lecture you on gender norms. He's my best student ever," she told George.

"So I've heard, love," he smiled, before loudly blowing his nose again. "I'm so sorry about your parents, love," he said. "That must have been awful."

Lauren nodded. "It was. I still miss them. And I still cry about it sometimes. At the smallest thing. Sad films. Smells that remind me of them. Seeing something that was theirs. So that's why I know a bit about having experiences that make you feel emotional, even though yours and mine are a bit different."

"So what do I do?" George asked.

"Well," she said, "I'm going to start with what you're not going to do, is that OK?"

"OK," said George, a bit curious.

"Well, you're not going to push the emotions down or away. You're not going to pretend they aren't there, you're going to stop apologising for having them and you're not going to use alcohol or whatever potions you might have to numb them. I don't mean you can't drink," she added quickly. In fact," she said, "we're going to pick up some wine from the offy next to the chip shop and have a glass when we get back. I just mean that you shouldn't drink in order to numb the painful feelings. Drink only when you're happy, that's my rule."

George nodded. He could do that.

"Hug lots. Don't be afraid to ask for connection; we'll all be very happy to hold you when you need it. I can lend you a very cuddly child anytime you need him! And if you want to cry, then allow yourself to cry. It's not just the gender bullshit that you need to override; you also need to not listen to anyone, or," she leaned in again, looking into his eyes, "even the voice inside your own head," she sat back, "who says you need to get over it. It's a journey, lovely. It's all OK; let it out and be happy that you can release the stress."

She paused again, wanting to check that he was taking this all in.

"Spin yourself off somewhere safe if you need to. You're welcome to come to mine anytime, lovely. In fact," she leaned in, "I love a good chick flick, and I find it quite therapeutic now and again to actually put myself in situations where I'm likely to release some emotions. I don't think Charlie's going to be into those, so I'm in the market for a film and ice cream partner if you'd like the job."

George smiled. "I think I'd actually like that," he said. "As long as we don't tell Fred."

"Deal. In truth," Lauren leaned in, "I should probably tell you not to numb emotion with ice cream either, but that would be very hypocritical of me, because I do that all the time, so I'm hardly one to judge!"

"We all need a vice," he grinned.

"I'm so glad we're in agreement on that," Lauren squeezed his hand. "Are you OK to walk and talk if we go and get the food now?" she asked, and George jumped to his feet before helping her up from the bench.

"It's not a case of aiming to reach a place where you never cry or feel this stuff again, George," Lauren said, entwining her fingers with his again. He looked at her, charmed by how easily she gave her affection to others, and again experiencing the feeling of being so happy for his brother. "Life is about emotion, and … well I think that, for some of us, there's a … like a trigger event, that unlocks a part of us that needs to cry. And the aim isn't to lock that bit up again, lovely. It's to look after it, like it's a sad or scared little wizard kid who needs your love."

"You're going to make me cry again, love," he warned.

"Sorry … did that touch a nerve?" George nodded.

Lauren made a mental note to ask George, next time they chatted, about his childhood and whether he had any other experiences which might be feeding this. Lauren was thinking of what Molly had called Project George, wondering how that had affected him. She shook her head; as a parent, you were constantly having to make difficult decisions that you hoped were for the best when, in reality, you had no way of ever knowing what events would stay with your kids through their lives. George was envisioning the time that he had spent crouched with Fred in a cupboard, put there by their parents and protected by Bill and Charlie when death eaters came. But that was for another day.

"Let's talk about wine and chips," Lauren was saying.

"Oh Gods, a woman after my own heart," he teased, drawing a big laugh from Lauren.

"You and your older brother both," she said. "The first night I met him, we shared wine and chips," she said. "Among other things; I couldn't believe how much he ate, and yet there he was all fit and toned!"

"Really?" said George. "I'm not sure I need to think about Charlie Bear being fit and toned!"

"Charlie Bear," said Lauren softly. "Is that a pet name?"

"It's what Mum called him when we were little," George said, "though I don't know if he'll thank me for telling you."

"Best I don't tell him who I heard it from then," Lauren winked, pulling open the door of the fish and chip shop and motioning for George to go through. "After you, Sir," she bowed. "Evening, Frank!" she called to the man behind the counter, who turned and smiled in pleasure when he saw her face. "I've got a bigger order than usual, but don't panic; this is George's first visit to the village and I'm going to give him the grand tour of the offy to give you time to cook our fish!"

Back at Lauren's cottage, Fred and Charlie had finished Elliot's bath and helped him into clean pyjamas and a dressing gown. "Can you make my dinos move?" he had asked his dad, and Charlie had obediently animated the friendly-looking tyrannosaurus rexes that decorated Elliot's nightwear. They scrambled around his arms, legs and torso and he was so intent on watching their progress that Charlie simply carried him to his special high chair and then lifted it to the end of the picnic bench while Elliot used his fingers to track dinosaurs. That gave him and Fred a bit of time to catch up on a quiet discussion of how George was, and Charlie was reassured when Fred insisted that he was generally fine and just needed to work through his feelings a bit.

When she saw that they had all gone outside, Hermione got up from the sofa and went out to join them. "This is lovely," she said, tipping her face up to catch the early evening breeze. "It's the perfect temperature now; not so hot that we're going to boil overnight, but warm enough that we'll be able to sit out for a while. Is everything else ready for tomorrow evening?" she asked Fred.

"I think so," he said. "I've done pizza sums and ordered some other bits and drinks and napkins. It's coming by floo at ten, and if you don't want to be there to collect it then Georgie or I can nip up?"

"No," she said, "It's fine; I can be there. Kingsley doesn't need us til after that."

"Thanks, love. I think everything else we can sort when we finish. The whole idea is not to make it a big deal or a lot of effort. I'll arrange a time with Lauren to come over and sort the pizzas, and we'll pop them under a warming charm and help bring Lauren and Elliot over to ours whenever they'd like."

Charlie mumbled a thank you and Fred's hand patted his brother's arm in a simple but clear gesture: no need for thanks; this is what brothers do. Charlie felt a swell of happiness at the idea that he was going to be back amongst his family. He had enjoyed his years of roaming and adventuring, but it was going to be good to be home. He just needed to work out, with Lauren, exactly where they wanted their home to be.

Fred was still looking at Hermione. "And you said Dad's already done the roof garden, love?"

Hermione nodded, and Charlie looked up. "What's he done to it?" he asked.

"Oh," said Fred, "just enlarged it … didn't think it would hold us all otherwise."

"Good plan," said Charlie.

"And he's put some sort of ward around the edge, for small people," Hermione added. "Not that I think he could climb," she looked sideways at Elliot, who still wasn't attending to their conversation, "but if he does, well no-one can topple over…"

"Good precaution for pissed people too," said Fred, earning himself a frown from Hermione. Only too late, he realised what he had said, and who he had said it in front of. Elliot was sitting so quietly while attending to his roving dinosaurs that Fred had quite forgotten that he was there.

"What's pist people?" asked Elliot.

"Oh, you would hear that!" Charlie exclaimed, unable to hide his grin. "That means people who have drunk too much wine, but it's not a nice word, and Fred is naughty for saying it."

"Sorry," Fred said, trying to look apologetic, and failing to do so.

"Are pist people going to topple over?" Elliot liked the sound of the word and was clearly going to persist with his line of questioning.

A movement caught Hermione's attention and she turned to see Lauren and George through the kitchen window. They were putting bags down on the table, so they must have just got back, she thought. She saw Lauren bending down and was momentarily confused when she got back up and was somehow almost the same height as George. But then Hermione remembered Lauren's stepping stool, which she used to reach things in high cupboards, and realised that she must be standing on it. Beckoning George closer, Lauren reached her arms out and gathered him up in them, pressing her cheek to his and hugging him tightly. Hermione stayed put and said nothing, but she smiled at the thought that the chat had gone well.

After a few moments, Lauren pulled back from the hug, searching George's eyes to ensure that he was OK and, when he nodded vigorously and gave her one of his grins, she laughed and began to point him in the direction of condiments. A minute or so later, they were back in the garden, distributing packages of fish and chips, with George excitedly exclaiming to Charlie about the range of sauces in Lauren's cupboard.

"I know," said Charlie, as he located and handed over Elliot's miniature battered sausage, which he speared onto a wooden fork that Frank had sent for his tiny friend. "I've not tried half of them yet!"

Fred looked at Lauren. "Can we have a social evening of chips and condiments sometime?" he asked.

"Isn't that what we're doing now?" she replied with a smile.

He shrugged, and then his grin grew wide to match George's. "Yeah, I suppose it is!" He began to pick up the bottles, gleefully examining the different options and then pulling a face at his twin when George teasingly showed him a hot chilli sauce bottle.

Hermione turned to George. "Did you have a good walk?" she asked quietly.

He nodded. "We did. It was great, actually." He looked at Lauren with a grateful smile. "I've learned a lot, and I have some ideas of things to try. Including," he laughed, "Verity's relaxation pod!"

"Yes, I love the sound of that," Lauren said. "I'd like to try it myself!"

"Anytime," said Fred cheerfully. "Well, other than Saturday afternoons … Verity has first dibs on it then!"

Lauren looked at Elliot. "Did you have a nice bath, lovely?" she asked.

"Yes," he said, "and I learned about pist people!"

Fred's head dropped onto the table. "Sorry, love," he muttered.

"Oh?" asked Lauren, trying not to laugh. She busied herself by directing George back to the kitchen for glasses and the wine before turning briefly back to Elliot. "What have you learned then?"

"Gandad put a ward so pist people don't topple over on pizza night!" he declared.

"Oh," Lauren paused for just a microsecond before deciding that the best policy was to ignore the infraction and deny Elliot the satisfaction of an unusual reaction. "Well that's fabulous. We can't have that, can we? Now, do you want that sausage whole or shall I cut it up a bit for you?"

"Whole please."

"Okay. Small bites," she advised, popping a few chips onto a plastic plate and putting it in front of him. "And then it's bedtime. If you don't want it all we'll put it in the fridge for tomorrow. Now, does everyone have wine who would like it? And Fred, why don't you tell us about your day?"

If Lauren was relying on the idea that Fred would be her best bet for a fast subject change, she was right.

"Well," he said, looking at Elliot. "Graham has a girlfriend!"

"Cool!" The little boy was very excited to hear about this new development, so Fred launched into a long and compelling story about how Graham needed his own chance at romance. And, as he answered Elliot's questions about her colour and sleeping location, all worries, deadlines and naughty words were temporarily forgotten.


	66. Kingsley's Speech

"Friends, colleagues, loved ones. Witches, wizards and treasured friends… We have won the war," Kingsley's voice boomed loudly around Diagon Alley, "but we still need to fight. We need to fight in a positive sense, to make good the damage that has been done to our world and our people. We are the generations who will be remembered for their sacrifice. But we will also be remembered," he paused meaningfully, putting his hand on Harry's shoulder to emphasise his next point, "for the love that has lit our way to victory; to freedom from oppression."

He and Harry locked eyes for a moment, smiling at each other, and Kingsley also took the opportunity to nod to each of Ron, Hermione and Fred, who stood close by him on the temporary stage that had been erected for him. Shopkeepers and customers had come out to hear him, the heads of several Ministry departments were present – and not only because they were operating the equipment that was sending the broadcast throughout the wizarding world – and hundreds of other magical people had gathered to listen.

Hermione squeezed Fred's hand, which she was holding tightly. Kingsley was good at rousing emotion in an audience, and she could see that his words were already having an effect. The crowds that filled Diagon Alley were listening to him intently, keen for good leadership, and she imagined that Hogsmeade and the other locations where his speech was being relayed were just as busy.

They had noticed that the stage was already being set up when the three of them had apparated home from Lauren's back garden the previous evening. It had been lovely to spend time with Charlie and Lauren and their fish and chip dinner was an unexpected treat, but Hermione, Fred and George didn't stay late. They were conscious that they had a busy few days ahead and it was clear that Lauren and Charlie wanted to get Elliot to bed and spend some time together. Apparating to the roof garden to see what Arthur had done, their attention had been caught by the activity in the Alley. Hermione went down to grab some butterbeers as the twins added a few more lights to the newer areas of the roof.

Once she had finished her drink and watched the progress of the builders, Hermione had decided to have an early-ish night. She deliberately used her new skills to turn off the bond once she had kissed Fred and hugged George goodnight, so that the two men could have a chance to chat without having to take into account the fact that she was listening.

Hermione was even more glad that she had turned in early when a rather loud group of wizards and witches arrived in the Alley early the next morning. As she went about her morning routine, she occasionally looked out of the window to see their progress. They had made quick work of completing the building of the stage from which Kingsley was now speaking, along with the projection technology that was sending his words around the wizarding areas of the British Isles.

"I am opposing a marriage law," Kingsley said, causing Hermione to cease her pondering and return her attention to the present, "because I do not want to replace one kind of oppression with another. But be in no doubt that our situation is serious and I absolutely understand why others think such a law is warranted." Another pause. "Now that we are free, our mission is clear. We need to repopulate the magical world." His words were powerful, well timed and clear, and he looked around with some relief, seeing the nodding heads. Good. He seemed to be managing to get the message across.

"Now, I do not mean," he slowed his words again, "that we all need to reproduce this year! I don't think that my esteemed colleagues at Hogwarts and the other magical schools would thank me for that!"

A laugh arose; the assembled crowds dually relieved to hear his words and to be able to release their tension in mirth.

"No," he continued, his words echoing around the Alley, "but we need to encourage those of you who are ready to have children now, and we need to encourage those of you who need a year or two to build relationships. And we need to encourage those of you who are young people now to get used to the idea that becoming parents is one of your key priorities when you become of age." He paused to look around and smile at the younger witches and wizards in the Alley. "You'll like that idea better in a few years, I promise!" The crowd laughed a bit at that.

His face became serious again. "This is my key message. We need to repopulate our world over the next decade or two. And," he slowed again, for emphasis, "we need to repopulate it well." Pause. "With children who will be loved, and accepted, no matter what their origins. With children who will carry forward what we have achieved and make our world better still. With children who will make us proud."

"And so," he continued, "those of you who need to take a year or two to establish your relationships," and Fred felt another squeeze of his hand, which he returned, careful not to move his head and give anything away to those who were closely watching them, "I fully support. But," he said, "it is my hope that those of you who are not in relationships will embark seriously on the search for a mate, and that those of you who are in relationships will give serious thought to how you can play your part in giving us those children and in raising them to be that source of pride which we so badly now need. We need romance! We need love! We need you to make us families!"

A smattering of whispers could be heard, as people processed the fact that he was trying to tread a careful line between imposing a law and asking for people to step forward and help to keep their world alive.

"Do not be under any illusions," he said. "There are those who think that my approach is wrong; that I should be demanding … inflicting a marriage law." Another pause. "I do not agree. I think that we have shown that we can stand together. Our standing together helped us to beat off those who would have oppressed us. I think we can also rise up and meet the challenge of repopulation. But I need your help. I am putting everything possible in place to support those who need it, and I am asking you to join me," his voice became louder still, "in putting our focus on families and the future!"

Kingsley was pleasantly surprised by the volume of the applause that reached him, and Hermione noticed that Verity, who was standing in the shop door in order to prevent anyone from entering while she, Lee and their helpers were watching the events, was clapping hard. That, for Hermione, was a hopeful sign. If Verity – who was never afraid to own her own cynicism – was moved by Kingsley's speech, there might be hope yet. She saw the blonde witch say something to Lee, and wished so badly that she could hear what it was. She looked at George, standing nearby, to see if he was wearing his magical ear, which would mean he might have heard it. He raised his eyebrows twice while flicking his eyes in the direction of the shop entrance, and Hermione felt excited, knowing that he had and that it must have been positive to elicit that reaction in him.

Kingsley had announced that he was taking questions, but he was unprepared for the first one being directed at Hermione.

"Ms Granger-Weasley," said a high-pitched voice from the crowd. It was a reporter from the Prophet, and not one of Hermione's favourite people, but she managed to keep a smile fixed on her face. "What are YOUR plans as far as the creation of a family is concerned?"

Kingsley's head turned quickly towards Hermione. He was about to tell her that she didn't have to answer the question, but she placed her hand on his arm. "It's OK," she whispered, under her breath. She knew full well that her response could make or break the effect of Kingsley's previous words, and that her words in this moment could have just as profound an effect as any of her actions over the last few years. While Kingsley bought her a little thinking time by fiddling with his wand and joking with Harry about the sonorous charm, she had a quick conversation with Fred through their bond.

Knowing that she had Fred's blessing to say whatever she felt was right, and buoyed by George's smile and the waves of support that he was sending her, she stepped forward, taking Kingsley's wand with a smile. "As you may know from the papers," she said to the crowd, trying to adopt Kingsley's habit of speaking slowly for maximum effect, "I have now been married to the love of my life for," she smiled at Fred, "well, it will be four weeks Sunday."

A rousing cheer from the crowds surprised her, and Fred, ever the showman, decided to further help the cause by taking her in his arms, holding the back of her head in his right hand and tipping her gently backwards as they shared a kiss. Hermione smiled, kissed him thoroughly and blushed as the cheer became louder.

She was thankful for the second small respite that the lengthy cheer gave her, but then, once she had smiled at Fred and retaken her position, held up her hand to the crowd so that she could continue. "I will confess that I am one of those who really appreciates the opportunity that we are being given to choose our own partners and to decide the timeframe in which we will begin and grow our much-needed families." She paused, but the crowd didn't clap or cheer that time; they were waiting on her next words.

"I think," she smiled at the crowd and then at Fred, "that I would like a little more time to enjoy being with my husband and establishing our home before we begin making our babies." A gentle laugh arose, as she had hoped it would, but she turned back to the crowd, having carefully thought through her next words. "But, as you may have noticed, my last name has grown, and I am now not only a Granger, but also a Weasley. And you may know that Weasleys are more committed to family than anything. So I stand here and pledge to you that, nature and magic willing, Fred and I will be starting a family within the next couple of years."

Another cheer.

"And how many babies will you pledge, Mr and Ms Granger-Weasley?" The wizard's face was smiling, and it was clear to all that he was joking.

"Well," Hermione shrugged, happy to join in the banter now, "when you're married to a magical twin…" she looked tenderly at Fred, causing many of the assembled witches and wizards to let out a soft murmur of affection at the show of their obvious love for each other, before turning back to the crowd. "…you're not necessarily the one who gets to do the counting, but three or four sounds nice to me…"

"Or seventeen!" called Fred, looping his arm around Hermione affectionately and getting the largest laugh of all.

Kingsley stepped in to thank Hermione and Fred for their answer, skilfully turning the next few questions into an opportunity to give a bit more information on the ins and outs of the incentives and explain that Monday's paper would bring clarification of the plans that were being made at Hogwarts. "I cannot share any more details at this point without Headmistress McGonagall's presence and permission," he said, when asked more about that, and enough of the crowd were ex-Hogwarts students that a murmur of respect for the older witch closed down that line of questioning. The last question was directed to Ron and Harry.

"Do the other members of the golden trio have anything to tell us about their own romances or any upcoming announcements?" another reporter asked.

Harry and Ron looked at each other. As soon as they had heard the question asked of Hermione, they had anticipated this one, and Harry had whispered into Ron's ear. So they were ready with their answer, in unison; "We're working on it!"

That time, Kingsley used the laughter and cheering as a segue to thanking everyone for coming, and then turned off the sonorous charm on his wand before he thanked the four friends for their support. "I don't think that could have gone better," he said. Then he turned to Hermione. "You were brilliant," he said, shaking her hand. "I don't suppose you fancy a career in politics?" he asked slyly. "We could line you up as my successor in ten or fifteen years' time…"

"Thank you," she laughed, "but I am very happy where I am now!"

Fred kept his arm tightly around Hermione as they moved towards the edge of the podium. It was clear that quite a large number of people had been excited by the events and wanted to see, touch and congratulate the happy couple. But after ten minutes of this and not having managed to even step off the stage because of the crowds of well-wishers, Fred could feel that Hermione was becoming overwhelmed. He quickly looked around him for an exit route that wouldn't involve her being engulfed by the crowds.

"Here…" Kingsley had seen their predicament and Hermione's face. She had done astonishingly well, but it was clear that she couldn't take much more attention. He quickly searched his pockets and found a coin. "I'll get you to The Burrow and I'll tell your brother," he said, holding it out towards the couple. Fred and Hermione reached for it together, Kingsley muttered, "portus" as he pointed his wand at the coin and the portkey whisked them off and away from the crowds.

When they landed, Fred was delighted to see that Kingsley hadn't sent them to the kitchen or even the back garden, where they would likely have been pounced upon by Molly, but to the spot where Kingsley had married them. Looking around to check that no-one had seen them land, he kept hold of Hermione's hand and led her quickly towards the jetty that jutted out into the Weasley's pond. Fred sent a mental picture to let George know where they were and closed their bond.

"Did you mean that?" he asked, after transfiguring a leaf into a soft mattress and pulling Hermione down on it and into a long kiss.

"Which bit?" she asked.

"Three or four babies, starting within the next couple of years?"

"I did," she said. "I'm sorry we didn't get to have a long conversation about it before I said it."

"No, no," he reassured her. "You did exactly the right thing; it's what they needed to hear. You bloody made that speech, you did. No wonder Kings wants you to take his job!"

"I don't want his job," she said quietly.

Fred kissed her nose. "I know, love, and you don't have to have it. I'm just saying, you're bloody good at this. Better than me…"

"Seventeen?!" she said, with raised eyebrows.

Fred grinned. "Got a laugh, didn't it?"

Hermione tipped her head and chuckled, nodding. Fred put his hand on her hip and spread his fingers. "You've got a timeframe now though … that's new. Very Hermione of you," he smiled fondly, "but new…"

She nodded again. "I'm not sure when it came to me … maybe now that I've started work…" she trailed off and Fred remained silent but encouraged her to continue with his eyes. "Well," she was speaking slowly again, wanting to make sure it came out the way she intended, "we're going to be spending the rest of this year in catch-up at the shop, I reckon."

Fred hummed. "Probably." He knew just what she meant; they were all set with their year planner and all, but they weren't likely to get ahead of product making and planning ahead for a good six months, especially given their current crisis and the fact that they were about to move into the busiest time of the year.

"But the beginning of next year, well that's when we'll get ahead," she promised. "January and February are quiet, other than Valentine's day, and that will give us time to get sorted, I think. As long as we keep planning ahead, then by the time we get all the kiddies off on the train next September, well," she paused, looking into his eyes, "maybe, if you're in agreement, I'll stop the potion then and we'll see what happens. Even if we got pregnant right away, I'd still be fine to work through the rest of that year and then we can use the next January and February quiet time to work out how to go forward with me being less involved."

"I'm already in agreement," he said, capturing her mouth with his and rolling her back under him. He spread his fingers over her stomach, pushing her dress upwards. "I can't wait to make you round with my babies," he informed her belly button before kissing and licking his way down to the top of her knickers.

Hermione groaned, hitching her hips up off the mattress so that he could pull the unwanted underwear down. Fred made short work of his own robes and trousers, pulling himself from his boxers so that, once he had brought Hermione to her first orgasm with his lips and tongue, he could crawl up her body and slide up inside her. Gripping his shoulders, she breathed his name over and over, which only served to make him come faster.

"Gods, I love it when you say my name," he told her, tracing shapes on her tummy with his long fingers as they lay together in the shade of the willow trees afterwards.

"I love it when you swear when you're about to come," she said in turn. Then, when he looked surprised, she laughed. "I do … it just feels so naughty."

"I love it when you get bossy," he said.

"I love it when you can't wait."

He laughed softly. "I often can't wait," he said.

"I know." Hermione stroked his hair. "I love you, Fred Granger-Weasley."

"I love you too."

They lay in silence for a few minutes until a screeching bird call got their attention. Hermione looked up to see an owl flying swiftly towards them.

"Isn't that Oswald?" she said, sitting up.

"Oh fuck," said Fred, "I'm in trouble!" He decided to wait for the owl to deliver the letter but he reached for his clothes and began to dress in readiness while it flew the last fifty yards and, as soon as he had read it, he cast his patronus. "OK," he told his hyena, "sorry, mate, I'll be in the cupboard in two." Turning back to Hermione, he pulled an apologetic face. "Shop's even crazier after the speech than it was this morning and George needs help. Sorry, love."

"It's OK," said Hermione. "Go … I didn't think…"

"Me either." Fred looked a bit sheepish. The overwhelming pull of the bond still had the effect of making both of them forget about everything but each other. And it was always worse when, on this occasion, they hadn't eaten for a while.

"I'll follow, with coffee and cake," she promised, eliciting a grin from Fred.

"Good one," he said, checking that his clothes were on straight before apparating himself into the cupboard.

After making sure her own clothes were back on and presentable, Hermione took a more indirect route back to the shop, deciding that she would be better off picking up George's treat from Hogsmeade than Diagon Alley. With Fred and George's staff care policy in mind, she bought a whole cake rather than just a slice and then stopped for a moment to try to sense where George was. As soon as she smelled the lavender and saw her planters in his mind, she apparated herself to the roof of their flat and presented him with the coffee, cake and her apologies.

"No, it's fine," he insisted, "you looked like you needed some time. I just needed ten minutes too."

Hermione patted his hand in understanding.

"We sold loads of stuff though," he grinned, and Hermione felt slightly reassured at that. "We really do have a supply and production problem now! When I go back down, I'm going to package more of what we made the other day, but we need a…" he broke off, clearly searching for the phrase he wanted. "Something in muggle studies, that you do when things are nuts and you have to really pay attention and think about how you're going to sort them out?" He looked at Hermione hopefully.

"A pow wow? Council of war? Emergency planning meeting?" Hermione offered.

"Yeah, any or all of the above," he said. George was still smiling, but Hermione could also sense a bit of worry in him. And it hadn't escaped her attention that he had sent an owl rather than a patronus. Was that a pragmatic decision? Did he do that so that she and Fred could have a bit more time together? Or was it the only option, because George hadn't been able to summon a happy enough thought? But she pushed her questions out of her mind, not wanting George to sense her thoughts. "It is a bit serious, actually," he said. "We really are running out of products. If people come but don't find what they want, I'm worried they won't come back again. And we're losing out on growth."

"Don't you think they'd give you a bit of leeway, given the war?" she asked softly.

"Maybe," he shrugged. "I just want us to be known as a really good, reliable place to shop, and to get things back on track again."

"I know," she patted him. "We'll get it sorted, George, don't worry. I'm free of commitments this afternoon now that the food's here and Kingsley's done. And I like having a good crisis to sort out," she smiled. "Let's go back down together and we'll see what needs to be done."


	67. Friday Afternoon

"I've brought reinforcements," Hermione announced, as she walked through the shop trailing Ron and Harry behind her.

"I thought you went out for potion supplies?" Fred asked, pulling a face at the two younger wizards, who grinned in reply.

"I did!" Hermione showed him her basket, which was overflowing with herbs and potion ingredients. For once, she hadn't shrunk everything; instead enjoying the feeling of shopping in the way that she had done with her mother as a child. They had been so short on a few key things that Fred and George had decided it was worth the extra cost of going to the apothecary rather than waiting for their bulk order to arrive. Hermione had volunteered and had been delighted to find an old basket in the back of the shop which she could carry on her arm. Her thoughts returned to the present as she looked fondly at Ron and Harry. "But the auror programme's best trainees were dicking about in the Alley and I've offered them lunch and snacks in exchange for a few hours of work."

"We've got the rest of the afternoon off," Harry explained to Fred, "and I was planning to be first in line for pizza anyway, so we're happy to help if we can." He looked down at his auror robes. "I need to change though."

"Help yourself to anything in the back room," said George. "There are a few different-sized overalls and shop robes for casual staff. Or some of our old clothes if you like." He grinned before adding, "you might need to shorten the jeans, mind!"

"And I need a sandwich before I start," Ron announced, and George waved his arm in the direction of the staff area.

"Of course you do," George laughed. "Fridge is full; help yourself! And there's cake around somewhere; probably in the staff room too, or if not ask Lee," he told his brother. Ron looked pleasantly surprised, making George laugh. He had clearly expected to have to negotiate, but Fred and George were so happy to have the help that they would have paid or supplied almost anything the two wizards might need.

Twenty minutes later, Harry and Ron were busy working on increasing the supplies of Wheezes products that were best suited to their skills. Which, George had quickly discovered, were not in the realm of potion brewing. Harry was good enough, perhaps because of the time he had spent with the Half-Blood Prince's annotated copy of Advanced Potion Making, but Ron's brewing skills were lacking. But they were both good enough at charms and transfiguration to use the twins' instruction book to create trick wands and some of the toys and games that were in short supply.

Their access to the twins' famed instruction book was granted only after they had been sworn to secrecy by means of adding their signature to a special contract. Long before she and Fred had got together, the twins had enlisted Hermione to bewitch the contract with a spell similar to that which she had used on the sign-up sheet for Dumbledore's Army, back in school. The twins always told potential signatories that Hermione had created the magic, and that a similar and permanent consequence would befall anyone who shared even a hint of one of their shop secrets. They then liked to add that the two of them and Hermione were the only people who knew exactly what would happen in the event of a breach of the contract. They sincerely hoped that no-one else would ever find out.

"Right," Hermione said, having unpacked her supplies and corralled both twins into their office. "Who's taking the lead on this?"

"In what way, love?" Fred asked.

Hermione frowned, not understanding why Fred needed to ask that question. Seeing her response, Fred reached for her, pulling her to stand between his legs as he sat on the edge of his desk.

"Humour us, love, and tell us what you're thinking." He stroked her hair. "Georgie and I are used to working together, just the two of us, and there's no leader as such…"

Hermione looked across the office to see George smiling encouragingly.

"OK," she said, giving Fred a quick kiss before extricating herself from his arms and heading to her own desk; all business. "As I see it, we have a significant product supply problem. For good reasons, which are the unexpected busyness and the fact that we want to launch a new line. However, we have several lines that have almost sold out. We have some products made but not packaged and labelled, we have Harry and Ron at work and they have enough supplies."

"And the key to the cake fridge," Fred interjected.

"Quite," Hermione added, and then immediately resumed her speech. "George did some kind of inventory the other day, I think?" He nodded in reply but Hermione continued before he could say more. "But I imagine that will be a bit out of date now?"

They both nodded, exchanging a glance which combined amusement and a bit of awe at Hermione's ability to cut to the core of the problem.

"On the plus side," she continued, "the three of us can work on this all day and evening tomorrow if we need to, and we have already decided to see if we can enlist the family to help on Sunday. I think we have every chance of having the shop fully stocked by Monday morning, including with a new display of our 'date in a basket' line. But that's only going to happen if we get ourselves super-organised and ensure that we use the help we have effectively. So I see the key priority as spending a few hours today making a list of everything that needs to be made and done by Monday morning. Then, someone can take charge of managing that list over the weekend. They can allocate jobs, keep a running check and direct others to ensure that it all gets done."

She looked at Fred and then George.

"Are you up for that job, love?" George asked.

"Of course," Hermione replied, "but only if you want me to be. It's your shop," she said.

"You're definitely the best person for the job," Fred told her, "but if anyone gives you any grief, we'll be right behind you, lovely." He was a tad worried that there may be people who would be rubbed up the wrong way by this very organised and efficient Hermione, remembering how she had been at school. He and George were laid back enough to be amused rather than offended by her approach, and he secretly rather enjoyed being bossed about by the fiery little witch, but he wasn't sure if everyone would feel the same way.

"Alright," Hermione said slowly. She really wanted to make this happen for the twins, but she was still getting used to the fact that Fred and George genuinely admired and sought out her logical and organised approach to problems.

"One thing, though," George said.

"What's that?" Hermione asked him.

He grinned. "This can't interfere with pizza night. Nothing's that important. We work until four today, and then we stop everything and focus on pizzas and family, as late as we want to. We have plenty of hangover and pepper up potion for the morning, so we're all going to have a bloody good time this evening and then we dose ourselves up and get on with it tomorrow."

"That sounds great," Hermione said. She might have the edge on logical organisation, but the twins were great for balancing her out; not only for reminding her to take proper breaks, but for enforcing fun upon her.

"One other thing…" George said, sounding slightly apologetic, "I said I'd have breakfast with Bill and Fleur tomorrow morning. But I can cancel?" he offered.

"No!" Fred and Hermione spoke at the same time, although for different reasons. Hermione knew that, as long as they got themselves organised, they didn't need all three of them working around the clock. And Fred wanted his twin to have as much family time as he could, especially with Angelina busy for the weekend. She had popped into the shop at lunchtime to give George a long kiss goodbye, not knowing what time she would be released on the Sunday. The last quidditch game of the season often lasted longer than usual. Then there would be an after-match celebration and there were always a few other things that needed sorting before the players were finally released from their team duties for the second half of the summer.

"We need to capitalise on our strengths," Hermione said. "I'll need some time to put all the information together and make a plan in the morning, anyway." She looked a tad embarrassed. "I'm not always very good at working with others. There are things I'm better at if left to myself, and my charts and organising is one of them. So it won't matter if you get here a bit later, George. And," she smiled at her next thought, "if we end up needing someone to stay up late and watch potions tomorrow evening, you're the night owl, so you should take the later shift."

"That does sound sensible," said George, delighted that he wasn't going to miss the crepes that he had negotiated in exchange for the knowledge that Fleur could cross off one of her 'sex bingo' locations. He managed to curtail the wattage of his smirk and hide his thought, not wanting the others to become suspicious.

Hermione's smile grew even wider. "This will be fun!" she said.

Fred laughed. "I actually think it will," he replied. "But where do you want to start, love? What do you want Georgie and I on this afternoon?"

"Lists," she said, summoning her special quill and a wad of parchment for it to write on. "By the time we stop to sort pizza night, I want to have a complete list of what we're aiming to have done by Monday. So I want one of you to make a list of individual products and the number we need of each to keep us in stock for a couple of weeks. I know that'll involve a bit of guesswork," she said, "but just go with your experience and your gut instinct. If we're out on a few things, that's fine; we can brew and make more next week when we see how things are going."

The twins exchanged another impressed glance as she continued. "Then I can sort it into sections and make a chart and keep track of what has been made and packaged and then put on the shelves. Leave out anything that you think people won't buy at this time of year or will be happy to wait for. And at the same time as we're doing that, somebody needs to check whether we have everything we need to make them and, if not, get the ingredients and supplies ordered as soon as we can."

Fred looked at George, who nodded. "OK, love; Georgie on inventory, me on supplies."

"Good," Hermione said, looking back at her parchment, where the quill was frantically scribbling down some of her thoughts. "And I am going to focus on the date basket range, and I'll do the same. Sweetheart?"

"Yes?" Fred and George spoke in unison, causing her to look up and smile.

"On this occasion, I meant the sweetheart I married," she told George with a smile before turning to Fred. "I'm going to co-ordinate with you for the supplies with those, because you'll know what we have and can add anything we need to your list." She looked at both of them and then the clock on the wall. "Think we can do this by four?"

"Oh, definitely," said Fred. "We like a good crisis too," he winked. "Although admittedly we are the cause as often as the solution." He stepped away from his desk and kissed her before he picked up parchment and a quill of his own and headed to the store cupboard.

"You're brilliant," said George, standing from his own chair and pointing his wand at the board that he had spelled to keep track of inventory. It needed updating, but it would be a good start. "If there's anything you need, just yell."

"I will," Hermione replied, heading off towards the workroom to survey baskets and card stock, her quill and parchment trailing along behind her.

She had almost made it to the workroom when Lee burst through the door that led from the front of the shop.

"Bloody hell!" he declared, to nobody in particular. "Gred! Forge!" He winked at Hermione. "Hello, love." Then he looked around for the twins. "Bit of a crisis out there…"

"We know, Lee," Hermione said, cutting off his monologue. She was very keen to start dealing with it rather than having another conversation. "We're trying to get it sorted right now."

"No," he said, nodding to Fred and George as they walked up. "It's got worse. We're now out of almost everything and people are starting to get a bit cross. Not sure what you want me to do? It's been your best day ever, takings-wise, but it'd almost be better to be closed than to be this low on key products."

"You're absolutely right," said Fred, turning Lee around and having a silent conversation with both George and Hermione as the four of them walked back into the main shop. Seeing Verity looking horribly stressed, he sent her straight to the staff room, scooped up a few small bottles of the glitterbubble bath oil that he had made the previous day and thrust them into George's arms. George headed to the door while Fred ran up the spiral stairs in the middle of the shop and addressed the customers.

"Ladies, gentlemen, witches, wizards and junior pranksters," he began. "We will be closing early today and it's now time to ask you to leave the shop. We will now be closed until Monday morning, when you can expect a grand re-opening with a whole new line of products. If you would like to make a purchase before leaving, please make your way to the main till immediately, where Lee will be happy to help you. Please come back to see our new range next week and, as a thanks for your understanding, my brother would like to give each of you a free sample of one of our new products on your way out."

The news that there were free samples helped move along those who weren't really interested in buying, and Lee made quick work of serving those who wanted to pay for things. Fred and Hermione used the time to look around the shop to get an idea of where things stood. Just ten minutes later, the shop was cleared and George locked the doors.

"Are you going to put a sign up so that people don't keep trying the door?" Hermione asked.

"Already thought of that," said Fred, lifting his wand. "We talked about this idea at school, and I always wanted to try it," he grinned. Carefully waving his wand in a series of shapes, he conjured a façade for the front of the shop that made it look as if it were wrapped like a parcel, with a bow tied over the front door. He closed his eyes to concentrate and, when he opened them again, said, "there. I've made a sign that says 'Re-opening Monday 10am'; that should do it.

"Oh thank goodness for that," said Verity, emerging from the staff room and looking a bit more relaxed after a ten-minute sit down with her second piece of cake that day. "Because my stress level was so high I was going to have to show you some toes as well as fingers the next time you asked!"

"We're in crisis management," said Hermione, sounding as if that was the best thing that had happened to her all day.

"Oh yes?" laughed Verity. "What's that then?!"

It took Fred and George just a few minutes to explain their plan and, once they had finished, only a few seconds for Lee and Verity to grasp it and ask what they could do.

Fred looked around. "Actually," he said, "this place is a mess from all that traffic. It would be great if you could tidy up and note the stock levels for George as you go along." He turned to the area of the shop that they used to display items they wanted to particularly feature. "We're going to make the date basket products over the weekend and launch those Monday, so we need this whole section cleared." He turned to George. "Is it too much to add the play area into the mix or shall we just go 'fuck it' and do that too?"

George shrugged. "Given the emphasis on families in Kingsley's plan, there's probably no better time…"

Fred looked at the others to gauge their opinion as well. Hermione said she thought it was a good idea, Lee simply shrugged and smiled and Verity gave him a wicked grin. "I'm all for anything that's going to corral the little monsters until they're old enough to buy," she winked. "We could get that sexy older brother of yours in to put wards up if you like…"

Lee looked a bit miffed at Verity's mention of Bill, but he was quickly distracted by Fred and George's discussion of the location of the play area. After just half a minute, they had chosen what they thought was the most appropriate corner. "Are you going to get that in by Monday too?" Lee asked, a bit astonished.

Fred and George looked at each other. "We hope so," George said, "but not personally."

"We've got a plan for that," Fred added. "If you two wouldn't mind clearing that bit out before you leave, we've got someone in mind for the job. Just need to put a few butterbeers and some pizza into him first! And leave Bill alone," he called in Verity's direction with a wink at the cheeky witch. "He's happily married! Lee here is free, single and just as gorgeous…"

For the second time in half an hour, the twins and Hermione turned to head back to their tasks, and for the second time in half an hour they almost made it to where they needed to be when they were interrupted. This time, the shop floo roared into life and Ginny stepped out.

"I had to go all the way to the pub to get in!" she complained to Fred and George. "What's happening?"

Fred put his hand on Hermione's arm. "You go, love," he told her. She looked like she might become cross if she didn't get started on her lists soon. "And you," he said to George," who nodded and went to chat with Lee and make a plan for inventory. Then he turned back to his sister. "We've got a supply crisis, Gin," he said. "We're almost out of products after a busy few days which we weren't ready for, and it got ten times worse today, so we've closed. We're hoping to enlist family help over the weekend to restock for Monday morning. Harry and Ron are already in the back," he nodded his head in their direction with a smile, "but George and 'Mione and I really need to get on with making a list of what we need to do. We need to stop at four and it's almost two now."

"Alright then," said Ginny, smiling at her brother as she put her bag on the counter, having picked up on the problem right away. "Fuck off in back and I'll be your receptionist."

Fred looked confused for a moment.

"What?" she said. "You think I'm the only Weasley who goes to Diagon Alley? You're going to get more people wondering what's going on and flooing in so, unless you want to spend all afternoon dealing with enquiries, you go and I'll stay and woman the information desk." She looked around. "I can help Verity tidy too."

Fred engulfed his little sister in a hug, deciding not to tell her how much she had sounded like their mother just then. It was going to be OK, he told himself. There were enough of them to get everything made and he truly believed that Hermione could create and manage a plan. The most important thing he could do, once he had made the list that she needed from him, was to protect her space so that she could 'Hermione' them into some kind of order again. Chuckling to himself, he headed to the back and dived back into placing the biggest overnight supply order that they had made since they counted their first month's takings and saw that they had been successful enough to invest significantly in stock creation.

Ginny smiled to see him go. Over the next two hours, she only had to deal with three floo unexpected visits. Molly had appeared soon after Fred left, wanting to know what time to come that evening. She was so focused on finding that out that she didn't even seem to notice that the shop was closed. Ginny explained that Hermione, Fred and George were busy in the back, told her Mum that they had said to floo to the flat or apparate to the roof anytime from six and then waved Molly farewell as she headed back into the floo.

Just ten minutes later, Percy popped in. He had been walking through the Alley on his way from a meeting back to the Ministry when he had seen the gift-wrapped shop. Ginny explained what was happening before sending him on his way. "I'll tell Penelope," he had promised, "and we'll keep Sunday free to help." Ginny had rewarded his offer by handing him a couple of the bottles of glitterbubble products that remained in the basket on the counter. George had labelled it 'free samples' so she didn't think it would be a problem. She was so happy that Percy was back in the Weasley fold and wanted to do everything she could to rebuild their relationship.

The last unexpected visitor was Neville. When he heard what was happening and offered his help for an hour or so, Ginny called out to Verity who warmly invited him to give her a hand with tidying. From the other side of the store, Lee eyed their interaction carefully. Verity was watching Neville as he reached for things on the highest shelves. This wasn't part of the plan; the last thing Lee needed was for another hot-blooded wizard to get his mitts on the witch he wanted.

Seeing Lee's response and spotting her mistake, Ginny thought quickly. Letting Verity know she was nipping to the loo, she cast a patronus from the staff room and, two minutes later, welcomed Luna through the floo. "How lovely to see you!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Would you like any help?" Luna asked, knowing exactly what the answer would be. Ginny had managed to explain the whole situation and what was needed in her message.

"Oh that would be wonderful, Luna," Ginny said, in a voice designed to be loud enough to ensure that Verity heard. "Maybe you could help Lee, seeing as Verity has Neville to give her a hand?"

"Of course," Luna said, heading towards where Lee was clearing shelves. "Hello Lee," she told him in a quiet, lilting voice. "I've come to help tidy up, and Ginny says that if we flirt and laugh a lot together then it'll help your case with Verity. I'm not interested in a relationship with you, but I'm happy to help. Would you like that?"

Lee grinned. Ginny wasn't related to Fred and George for nothing. It was amazing that the sorting hat hadn't put all three of them in Slytherin.

"I'd bloody love that, Luna." He pulled the blonde witch towards him, giving her an exuberant hug and a big smack of a kiss on her cheek. Lune deliberately giggled, touching his arm in response.

From the shop counter, Ginny almost couldn't stop herself from rubbing her hands together in glee. Verity was watching the happenings over the other side of the shop, and it had clearly given her something to think about too. This couldn't have worked out better. Well actually, Ginny thought, there was still one way that it could. She looked at the clock. Right, she decided, once it got to ten to four, she would go and get drinks from the staff room and then summon those from the back onto the shop floor. It wouldn't hurt Ron to see Luna flirting with Lee either. With all this potential romance going on around her, Ginny couldn't wait for pizza night to begin.


	68. Pizza Night - part one

Ginny couldn't have been more satisfied with the results of her meddling. Luna had taken her request to flirt with Lee very seriously and, when Ron came into the main shop just after four o'clock, he all but marched over to claim her.

Kissing Luna on the cheek, he said, "you are still coming to pizza night with me, aren't you?" Ginny had to pretend to be very thirsty and in need of a quick burst of water from her wand in order to cover her smile and avoid making Luna laugh. She caught Fred and George's eyes though, and they soon cottoned on to what she had done.

Hermione was too engrossed in her list to notice what was happening amongst those who had been tidying and checking stock, but Verity certainly did. With a thank you to Neville for his help, she sashayed over to Lee and took his arm.

"Alright, Jordan," she said. "I need a proper drink after a day like that. You're buying." She began to march him towards the floo before Fred could even offer an invite to pizza night but a quick glance at Lee's face told him that his friend would rather be alone with Verity anyway. He raised his eyebrows at the twins; a look that they knew well from their days of sharing a dormitory at school and trying their luck with various witches.

"See you in the morning then," Fred called to them both. "But let's start at ten. Might as well have a lay-in if there are no customers to worry about. Wear what you like."

George threw an arm around Luna, while Fred grinned at Neville and then scooped Ginny into a hug. "Well done, love," George said and, when Ron gave him a funny look, leaned towards his brother with a wink and said, "well bloody hurry up then!" He let go of Luna just in time to kiss Ginny on the cheek as Fred gave their sister a squeeze.

"So fucking proud," Fred told Ginny, making her laugh.

"Why, what have you done?" Harry asked Ginny, finally joining them after changing back into his own clothes. "Did you give Percy a canary cream or something?"

"Oh, much better than that," George said.

"She's been matchmaking," Fred informed him, and Harry laughed.

"Oh," he said. "Is my pizza ready?"

"Bloody hell, Harry," George said. "You sound like Ron!"

Fred turned to Neville. "Thanks so much, mate," he said. "Would you like to join us this evening? There'll be plenty of pizza!"

"Another time, I'd love to," Neville replied. Then he winked at Fred. "I've got a date though! Got to keep the Ministry happy and the marriage law off the statute books!"

Before Fred could get any more information out of him, Neville saluted, wished them all a lovely evening and then strode towards the floo.

Deciding that he had more important fish to fry, Fred turned to Hermione. "Are you done, love? Time to put it down and chill…" He waited until her quill had finished scribbling and then she looked up at him with a smile as she waved her wand and her parchment gathered itself into a neat pile.

"I am. Just," she said, kissing his cheek. "Is everything ordered?"

He nodded. "Yes ma'am. Coming at ten a.m., so there's not much we can do between now and then except relax and prepare ourselves for the marathon!"

"Good, though I still need to make a plan of campaign when I get up in the morning. It won't take me long though, especially if I can be uninterrupted," she raised her eyebrows at Fred.

"I'll protect you then, love. And Georgie will be out anyway," he winked at her. "Now, will you do one thing for me while Georgie and I clear this lot out and close up down here?"

"What's that Fred?"

He steered her towards the staff room and pointed her towards Verity's relaxation pod, twiddling a few buttons as he did. "Lay down in here for fifteen minutes. It'll help clear all the thoughts of your day and get you nice and chilled out for our evening."

Hermione almost cried when she saw the tender look on Fred's face. How could she have yelled at and threatened him so much when they were at school? Yes, she had long fancied him, but that hadn't stopped her from seeing him primarily as a troublemaker, albeit of the minor and usually relatively harmless variety. But the real Fred? There was a side of him that was so damn thoughtful and caring. This was the Fred who had lent her his jumper; who had tenderly applied ointment to her bruised face after she had encountered their trick telescope; who had always looked out for her. She loved that she brought out this caring side of him.

"I love you," she whispered, kissing his lips before allowing him to divest her of her parchment and quill and helping her step into Verity's pod.

"I'm going to make you a cup of tea upstairs and it and we'll be on the roof," he promised. "Shall I put these on your desk or take them up to the flat?" He held up her lists.

"Flat, please," she said. "If I wake early, I'll just work on the kitchen table or in the living room."

"Alright love, enjoy your rest."

She did, although it took almost two thirds of the time that she was in the pod for her thoughts – which were mostly about the best way to divide up her list – to cease whizzing about her mind. But for the last five minutes of the programme, Hermione's breath slowed. Inhaling the scent of lavender and orange blossom, she listened to the sounds of the ocean and concentrated only on taking deep, relaxing breaths. When the tiny ping sounded to let her know that the programme had ended, she gently stretched her body and, as the pod opened to slowly reveal the staff room again, she rolled out of it, feeling much better.

"I should visit you every day," she told the pod. It didn't answer.

Hermione decided to climb the various sets of stairs to the roof rather than apparate from the cupboard. The twins had closed the shop floo and put a wedge into the door between the shop and the flat. She nudged the wedge away with her foot as she closed the door, knowing that it would automatically lock behind her. She guessed – correctly, as it turned out – that their guests would either floo to the flat or apparate to the roof.

"We're in the pizza queue," said Harry, as soon as she reached the roof and her head poked out of the doorway. "I'm first!" Hermione smiled to see that he, Ron, Ginny and Luna were all parked on sofas, clearly ready for the party to begin.

Hermione laughed. "Brilliant. You know they're not getting picked up until five thirty?"

"That's why we've got snacks!" George announced from behind her. She hadn't realised that he and Fred were still in the kitchen when she had come into the flat, and had followed her up the stairs. They began to arrange bowls of muggle crisps and nuts on the low tables that had been scattered around the roof. Ron could barely wait for them to be set down before he dived in.

"Do you want me to do anything?" Hermione asked.

"Yes," Fred said. "We want you to chat to this lot and entertain them while we get ready."

"Oh," she said, smiling at Ginny and Luna. "I can do that!" She sat down next to Harry and he immediately put his arm around her. The two of them didn't get as much time together these days, with them both being so busy in their new roles, and they cherished the moments that they did have. Harry was the closest thing to a sibling that Hermione had ever had, although she smiled to herself when George appeared in front of her. He was fast becoming another brother of her heart.

"And make sure Ron doesn't eat all the crisps before the rest of the family get here!" George added, earning himself a scowl from his younger brother.

Hermione smiled and tucked her legs underneath her, resting her head on Harry's shoulder. It would be lovely to catch up with her four friends, she thought, who she felt she didn't see nearly as often as she would like these days. While George and Fred finished setting up the roof and then apparated themselves to Bristol to collect pizzas with Lauren, she asked them all how things were going.

"A bit up and down, to be honest," said Ginny, and Harry murmured in agreement.

"Mmmmm," Luna added, through a mouthful of crisp. She was holding one up to the sun and moving it back and forth, trying to work out what it was made from. "Lots of uncertainty," she agreed.

Hermione wrinkled her nose. "About the school stuff?"

"Exactly," said Ginny. "I'm even boring myself now by saying it," she said apologetically, aware than she had spend quite a lot of time bemoaning the situation to Hermione at The Burrow just a couple of days previously. "But I just want to know now…" She looked from side to side before leaning in, although no-one outside the five of them could possibly have heard. "I nearly marched up to Kingsley in the Alley this afternoon and asked him outright," she said, and then sat back against the soft sofa again. Ginny sighed. "Except I've promised to do it his way, and I know how much is riding on it. Will it ever be over?" she asked, with a dramatic roll of her eyes.

"It is a bit bothersome," Luna said, ever the mistress of understatement.

Hermione bit her lip, wanting to collect her thoughts before speaking. "I don't know whether it will help at all," she said, "but Angie and the boys and I had a chat on Wednesday, after I saw you, Ginny. We're thinking that we need to get more involved … sort of try and help things along a bit. I know the situation's a bit different for all of us, but maybe it might help if you felt you were more a part of it?"

"I don't know quite how much more a part of it I can be," Ginny said, trying not to raise her voice, lest it drift down to be heard in Diagon Alley. "I'm being publicly proposed to, you know!"

Hermione smiled. "I know, Gin. But things could go either way, and there's lots that we could do to try to help rally people and stop the law, even before the announcements or the ball." She stopped, knowing full well that the youngest Weasley made up her own mind on all things. Hermione didn't want to waste energy trying to persuade Ginny to do something that she was dead set against.

"Like what?" Harry's interest had been piqued as well now.

"For a start," Hermione said, "talk to everyone we can about it; stress the importance of this chance we have to partner up and marry and form families of our own volition rather than being forced into any of that." She paused, collecting her thoughts. "I honestly think the biggest obstacles we face are ignorance and apathy. Do people realise how close the Wizengamot are to passing this law if they don't get the show of support that Kingsley needs? And, even if they do, will they translate that into action?"

Hermione paused again, unsure about whether she was giving too much away, and then decided to throw caution to the wind. This was their one chance, and she wasn't going to let it pass by keeping things to herself. "The twins and I are working on a date-related product line for the shop, so we'll be delighted to keep your mind off the news all weekend if you're up for helping with that."

Ginny and Luna looked at each other and then at Ron and Harry, who nodded. "The four of us have plans tomorrow," Harry said, turning back to Hermione, "but I'd be happy to help on Sunday."

"Me too," said Ginny, and Ron and Luna added their own words of agreement.

"That would be wonderful," said Hermione. "I know I'm in danger of becoming a bit over-passionate about it…"

"Like you were with S.P.E.W.?," Harry teased, causing Hermione to blush a little.

"Maybe," she conceded, with a smile. Then she leaned forward, her face becoming serious again. "But this time, those who are affected, or potentially affected, actually want the same thing that I do for them … freedom of choice," she said, and Ginny took her friend's hand as Harry spoke.

"You're right," he said.

"Yes," Ginny added, "you are. And I actually feel like I'm being a bit selfish here." Hermione looked at her, a bit puzzled. "I know for sure that I'm going to be able to marry the man I love, but others might not get that choice. Unless we raise awareness and get people to act before the Wizengamot put something in motion that will affect us all."

Hermione turned to Luna, wanting to ask the younger witch whether she had thought about how she might protect herself from the upcoming changes and whether she had any intentions with Ron – or perhaps another wizard – but the sound of apparition from the other side of the roof caught her attention and she turned her head.

"Miney!" Elliot was clearly delighted to see her and wriggled in Charlie's arms until he was placed upon the ground, whereupon he ran straight to Hermione, climbing up on the sofa between her and Ginny. "Can I see your horse?" he asked Ginny, who laughed and then looked at Harry as her eyes softened with the memory that she needed in order to conjure her patronus for the little boy.

Hermione leaned in closer to Luna. "He doesn't yet realise that we can all cast a patronus," she whispered. "So don't cast one unless you want to do it every time you see him!"

"He's a dear little thing though," Luna said, watching Elliot's delighted face when Ginny's horse emerged from her wand and pranced around for him. "And so wise … I wonder if his mother knows…" she trailed off.

"Oh, I think she does," Hermione said. "Lauren's really clever herself, and she talks to him all the time, so it's not really surprising."

Luna tipped her head to one side. "Maybe," she said, adding cryptically, "although there are many different kinds of wisdom, of course…"

Hermione smiled. She loved Luna, but she found some of her more esoteric conversations a little hard to engage in. "Will you excuse me?" she asked, giving Harry another squeeze. "I want to check with Charlie how everything's going at Lauren's. The twins have enlisted her to take them to buy pizza!"

"Of course," Luna smiled as Ginny pulled Elliot onto her lap and asked him about his day.

"Hello sweets!" Charlie greeted Hermione with a hug, confirming that all had been going smoothly at the cottage when he had left. "They left about twenty minutes ago," he told her, continuing to fish in his bag for something. "Oh here!" he exclaimed, producing two large bottles of fizzy pop and leaning around Hermione to put them on what looked to be the drinks table. handing them to Hermione. "Lauren did the order on her phone," he looked proud at his correct use of the muggle term, "so she said it'd take less than half an hour before they were back."

Sure enough, another couple of cracks were heard just a few minutes later. Hermione turned, expecting to see Fred and George, with pizzas and Lauren. Instead, she saw Fred laden with pizzas and Bill tenderly holding Fleur, who he had side-along apparated, but no sign of George and Lauren. Before she could ask Fred where the others were, he had put the pizzas on a table and walked towards her, taking her into his arms as if he hadn't seen her for days.

"George apparated her straight into the bathroom," Fred said into Hermione's ear. "She was worried about being sick in front of everyone." Then he smiled. "He promised to land her next to the sink and follow her orders to the letter!"

Hermione frowned, not understanding. "What do you mean … orders?"

"Like if she wanted him to stay or go, when they arrived!"

"Oh," she smiled. "Well she can't have been too ill … look!" Hermione turned Fred around, trying not to pay attention to the thrill that raced through her body as she held her hands on his waist. She realised that she hadn't eaten much during the day, and her hunger for food was only increasing her hunger for Fred. Across from them, George was helping Lauren out of the doorway to the roof garden; Lauren looking happy and not at all like she had been ill. Hermione quickly walked over to greet her.

"I didn't throw up!" Lauren laughed into Hermione's ear as she hugged her friend before catching Charlie's eye and telling him the same thing over Hermione's shoulder. Charlie laughed and nodded, adding a word of congratulations. George took the opportunity to take the credit for this new development, bowing low to acknowledge the imaginary applause that he should have received for his careful apparition of one of their new family members.

"Thank you! I thank you," he said, and Hermione decided to applaud him briefly, if only because she was so delighted to see him looking more carefree again.

"Well done, Georgie," she said, reaching to touch his arm.

"Yeah, nothing to do with the fact that she's used to it now," Charlie teased.

"I think George is a very lovely apparator," said Lauren, laughing. "Is that the right word for it?" she asked Hermione.

"No idea!" said Hermione, turning to Ron, who had spotted the arrival of the pizzas and decided to come and see what was happening. "What do you call someone who apparates, Ron?"

"A wizard," he said, not having heard the first part of the conversation.

Fred and George shook their heads and rolled their eyes in unison, and then spotted Ron heading for the pizza boxes, closely followed by Harry.

"Hey!" they said at the same time.

"Manners, Ronald!" said George, quickly flicking a hex that stopped his brother in his tracks.

"Yes, have a bit of decorum, Harold," Fred grinned.

Ron turned his head and looked at Harry, aghast. "Is that your real name?" he asked.

"Of course not; that's Fred being a dick," Harry said.

"Oh." Ron looked disappointed and Harry laughed. He wasn't sure whether his best friend was annoyed at being caught out by one of the twins again or whether he actually wanted Fred's joke to have been true.

Two more cracks of apparition were heard, and the twins sent Ron and Harry back to their sofa with fresh drinks before welcoming Percy and Penelope and getting drinks for all the new arrivals. Lauren was delighted to see that the muggle pop was going down well, with Fred dishing it out in small cups as a taster while the wine was chilling and breathing and telling everyone that it was Lauren's contribution to their muggle evening.

"Is it just Mum and Dad to come now?" Charlie asked George, who looked around the roof. Everyone seemed to be settling into sofas and trying the snacks. He was pleased to see that, if anything, Arthur had made the roof garden too large. Not that that was a problem; better have too much space than the other way around.

"Yeah, I think so," he said, doing a head count and then deciding that a sibling count was a better approach. "OK, so there's Bill, Charlie, Percy, the two of us, Ron, Ginny. And Harry and 'Mione and wives and partners all present along with our favourite tiny wizard so, yeah, that's everyone, I think. Oh," he added, nodding his head to the doorway, where Crookshanks had appeared, having heard Charlie's voice. "And the orange one."

"Ange not coming?" Charlie asked, reaching his hand down to stroke Crookshanks.

"Working," said George.

Charlie nodded, wanting to reassure his brother but not really knowing how to do that for the best. "Well," he said slowly, "I know someone who would love to cuddle with you under the fairy lights when it gets late," he said, nodding his head towards Elliot, who had squashed himself between Ginny and Luna so that he could lean over the back of the sofa and watch bugs buzzing around the lavender.

"That's very kind of you," George grinned. "And yes, if Lauren gets lonely, or you're not man enough, you just send her my way!"

Charlie threw his head back, laughing loudly. Like Hermione had just a couple of minutes earlier, he was enjoying seeing George more relaxed than he had seemed to be for the past few days. Perhaps that chat with Lauren really had helped his brother make some sense of his feelings.

A loud declaration of "whoosh!" from Elliot alerted them all to the imminent arrival of Molly and Arthur, and the couple were a little surprised but nonetheless happy to find their arrival greeted with a rousing cheer from their sons, daughter and loved ones. Choosing to believe that their family were pleased to see them rather than happy that their arrival meant that pizza-eating time was imminent, they smiled and greeted everyone fondly. It took Arthur all of ten seconds to spot the muggle drinks and to make a beeline for the table on which they sat. He then moved on to inspect the stack of pizza boxes, carefully secured under a heating charm, and pulled a tape measure out of his pocket to help him in his initial examination of them.

"Now," said Fred, leading his mother to a sofa on which Hermione was already sitting, "will you be having white, red, pink, or butterbeer?"

"I'll regret having wine," Molly said to Hermione. She pulled a face, trying to decide whether the pleasure of the evening would compensate for the overnight unpleasantness that might follow.

"Not if I give you this to take before you go to bed," Hermione said, pulling a brown bottle from her pocket. "I made it myself; in thanks for all the ones you've made me over the years."

"What is it?" Molly asked, quietly enough that Fred wouldn't hear. Fred knew exactly what it was. Not only had he been making potions for the shop next to Hermione while she brewed it; as the potions expert, he had advised on the perfect combination of ingredients. But out of respect for the fact that his mother seemed a bit worried that he might make a loud joke about it, he turned around and pretended to be engrossed in checking that the pizzas were safe under Arthur's inspection while Hermione replied.

"It's my first attempt at a menopause remedy," Hermione whispered. "Completely safe; it's just a blend of known potions with a few extra herbs, and I owled Poppy to check that none of the ingredients would react with each other. It's equal parts hangover cure, relaxant and a balancing potion that mediwitches use to bring people's temperature down. "This one is for if you want to drink wine and not be awake all night. Take a dropperful before you go to sleep and then another as soon as you wake. And please let me know how you do. I've got another in progress that I think will help with temperature regulation during the day, but I still need a couple of weeks for that."

"You're a darling," Molly gushed, taking Hermione's face between her hands and giving her a big kiss on the cheek. "And I'm only going to say this once, by order of Arthur," she winked, "but it made me SO happy to hear what you said earlier, in the Alley." She lowered her voice to a near-whisper. "About babies." Without waiting for Hermione to answer, Molly raised her voice. "Pink please, Fred!" Then she turned back to Hermione. "Do you know," she said, "I've been looking forward to this all day!" She smiled even more widely as Elliot came toddling towards her, intent on climbing upon her lap.

"Hello lovely," Molly said to him, snuggling him into her side.

"Nanna?"

"Yes Elliot?"

"When can I see the pist people?" Elliot asked his grandmother, who did a double take.

"Excuse me?" she asked, and he repeated the question.

"When can I see the pist people who might topple over the edge?" It was clear from the look on his face that he had some awareness of the impact that his sentence might have.

Molly simply looked up, raised her eyebrows and directed a gaze to where Charlie, Fred and George were now standing together. Without moving, Charlie and George both extended their index fingers and pointed to Fred, who looked apologetic. "Sorry, Mum," he said. "Sorry Lauren."

Much to everyone's relief, Molly chuckled. But then she turned back to Elliot and replaced her smile with a more serious expression. "I don't like that word," she told him. "You know which one I mean." It was a statement, not a question, and he nodded. "If you promise not to use it again," Molly continued, "I'll take you to the sea next week. We'll make lemon drizzle cake and take some to Bill and Fleur. In the floo."

Elliot nodded. "Okay Nanna." He could sacrifice his word for a trip like that.

"Oh no," said Charlie. "I can't believe I'm going to miss out on lemon drizzle cake!"

"Merlin's rocks, Charlie," Bill's voice was quiet. "A few days of romance, just the two of you, and you're worried about cake!"

"I'm a growing boy," Charlie protested, causing Lauren to laugh. "Alright," he conceded, giving Lauren a look which caused a thrill to go through her body, "I'll admit that cake's actually the last thing on my mind."

"So what do you have planned for your few days away?" Penelope asked.

Charlie turned to look at her with a smile. "I'm a bit reluctant to go into too much detail, lest I make it sound more appealing than baking and seaside trips," he winked, "but I mostly just want to be able to show Lauren my other world; show her what my life and work has been like over the past few years."

"I can't wait," she said.

"Nanna, can my digger come?" Elliot asked Molly.

"I don't see why not," she said. "If you remember to pack it. But," she looked at Arthur, "we have a shed full of toys as well, and Grandad says you can help him sort that out and pick out a few things that you can play with when you visit us."

The little boy's eyes grew wide.

"He's going to have an amazing time," Charlie said to Lauren, and she smiled at Molly in reply.

"We'll take good care of him so you two can have some time alone," Molly promised. "Are you still planning to come back for a few hours on Wednesday evening? I'll make something nice for dinner…"

"I think so," Lauren said. She wasn't sure how she was going to feel about portkeys yet. Charlie had been honest with her about the fact that the huge advantage of speed and ease of travel was counteracted a bit by the sensation that it left one with for a few minutes. "Though if everyone is happy, then we could just stay in Romania, but I don't know how we could best communicate to make that decision…"

"Well," Fred said, looking at George, who grinned before they both looked back at the rest of their family.

"We have a gift for you, now that everybody's here," George told Lauren.

Before Lauren could reply, Molly turned towards Hermione. "If you're doing gifts and announcements, do you think Arthur could be allowed to make an announcement before we eat? There's something we've been dying to tell you all!"

"Oh gosh, yes," said Hermione, catching Fred's attention through the bond while deliberately not catching his eye. She didn't want to let on that they suspected they knew what was coming. "Shall we finish getting everyone a glass of wine first?" she asked Molly. "Is it an announcement that we might want to toast?"

Molly's smile grew wide and, for a moment, Hermione could see the twins in her face. "Yes! That would be lovely!"

"Right then," Hermione said, getting up. "Leave it with me; I'll get the twins on it." She reached through her bond, sending Fred and George over for the wine and glasses.

Molly shook her head and laughed. "You're an amazing woman, Hermione Granger!"

"Weasley," corrected Fred, as he made his way back towards them. "Granger-Weasley!"

"Of course, said Molly, patting him as she accepted the glass that he gave her and then pointed to the pink bottle. "How could I forget?" She allowed him to fill her glass and then clinked it with Hermione's as Fred and George quickly made their way around the roof garden, using their magic and their communication bond to furnish everyone with a glass of wine. With a flourish, Fred transfigured a beaker and George produced a stream of dragon-green water from his wand, delighting Elliot. Molly simply shook her head, laughing at her second-youngest son's seemingly boundless imagination.

They finally reached Arthur, having deliberately left him until the end. Pouring him wine, Fred and George then stood one either side of him, calling their family to order.

"Pray silence!" Fred said, in his loud voice, looking at George.

George grinned. "We give the floor to a great and wonderful man."

"Friend to all," Fred continued.

George raised his wand in a mark of respect. "Father of many!"

Fred followed suit, putting his own arm in the air. "Grandad of one, with loads more to come!"

"We give you," George said, before looking at Fred so they could finish together.

"Arthur Weasley!"

A cheer broke out as everyone else held their wands aloft, making Arthur blush. He wasn't used to that much attention, even from his own family.

"Thank you, boys, but please, sit," he said, and they did. Arthur looked around the roof garden. "Do you know?" he said. "This makes me feel quite emotional!"

"Wait til you try pizza then," Fred said, wanting to help his father to not feel too overwhelmed. "You'll probably cry, it's so good!"

"Well," Arthur laughed, "then I will hurry up and say this so we can eat. I wanted to let you all know that I have been given a promotion. It's a wonderful offer and opportunity. I'm not sure I deserve it," he looked down modestly, and a lump came to his throat when he heard the protests from his family, "well, but I have it and it will make a huge difference to our lives and finances, so I'm very thankful to Kingsley. And I'll be getting a bigger office, so you're all welcome to visit any time you like!"

Hermione squeezed Fred's hand, feeling glad that they had asked for this in return for their part in Kingsley's plan. They knew that Kingsley had already committed to finding and helping Hermione's parents when it was safe to do so, and the two of them had enough money for themselves for now and good prospects for their own future. Their concern had been to secure Molly and Arthur a comfortable life and retirement, and Kingsley's offer had done just that. Not that they would ever tell anyone else; only they, George, Angelina and Kingsley would ever know that they had any part in it.

When Arthur finished speaking, he was surrounded by his family who wanted to hug and congratulate him. Looking at each other, Fred and George gave Arthur a few minutes to enjoy his moment, glaring at Ron and Harry when they mumbled about how long it was taking to get to the pizza.

"Alright, people," Fred said, managing to quieten everybody down. "First," he raised his glass in the air, winking at Arthur, "congratulations to our dear old Dad. We love you and you deserve all of this and more! And to Mum too, who has stood with us all for so many years … Mum and Dad!"

Anything else he might have said was lost in the resounding cry of 'Mum and Dad' from twenty-odd Weasleys.

"And," he continued, "pizza will be served in approximately three minutes!" He paused briefly to allow for the applause that he knew would follow, and took a small bow, "but first, Georgie and I have something exciting to share with you all!"


	69. Pizza Night - part two

"So," said Fred, looking around at his assembled family, "we have created an interWeasley communication network," he announced, using his wand to summon a gift-wrapped box and levitate it slowly towards Lauren.

"Go on, love," George said, encouraging her to pull the red ribbon and unwrap it.

"Is something going to jump out at me?" she asked, looking between the two of them.

Fred's hand went to his heart. "Oh Georgie," he said.

"Oh Freddie!" They clutched each other.

"She has us sussed already!"

"I'm so proud! Are you proud?"

"Couldn't be prouder," Fred finished, and then looked back at Lauren. "No, love, no nasty surprises; just something nice."

Lauren pulled the ribbon and saw that, within the box, was a small muggle mobile phone and a number of shiny circular items. She lifted the phone out and turned it over in her hand. It looked mostly like a normal phone, but with the addition of a few glittery stickers and a slight shimmer that surrounded it no matter what angle she turned it in her hand.

"Press any of the numbers one to six and then the green phone symbol," George prompted.

Lauren did as he told her and then jumped when one of the circular items made a chirping sound from within the box.

"May I?" said Fred, and Lauren held the box out to him. He reached for the mirror that was chirping and glowing and flipped it open in front of his face.

Lauren gasped when Fred's face appeared on the tiny screen of her phone. "Hello, love," he winked, and she jumped a little.

"Oh wow," she exclaimed, moving the phone closer to her face.

"Why thank you, ma'am," Fred teased, winking into the mirror. "It's nice to know I still have that effect on pretty girls, even though I'm a happily married man these days."

A range of groans, sighs and laughs echoed around the roof garden.

"Will it work with anyone?" Lauren asked him through the phone.

"As long as they have one of these," George's face appeared beside Fred's in Lauren's screen and he touched her knee to get her to look up at the real version of himself indicating the rest of the mirrors in the box. "We've made six to start with, but once we've tested and refined them, then everyone can have one, if they want."

"You'll be able to contact each other as well," Fred said, looking around at the others, "not just Lauren."

"Boys, this is brilliant," Arthur was saying, having stepped forward to stand behind Lauren and see the phone for himself.

"Thanks, Dad," Fred said, taking the box and fishing out another mirror. "Mum, you'll need one, and obviously you, Charlie." He handed the first two out, showing them the numbers on the back. Molly was clearly delighted to be the first recipient and to have the phone number '1'.

"We've made them so you can use them with a wandless charm. If you're magical, you just need to say 'phonus' and then the name of whoever you want to call," George explained. "Lauren, you'll use the phone buttons and then press the green phone, like with a regular muggle phone. We've allocated numbers to each mirror, so you just need to write out a list or learn who's who."

"I can do that," Lauren was nodding. "This is brilliant," she said. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome," Fred told her, moving on before she could heap too much praise on him. He felt she deserved everything they could make her, given everything she had been through over the past few years. "OK," he continued, "so Georgie's going to have this one and be the technical support wizard," he said. Fred had volunteered George for this role so that he would be able to chat to Lauren as much as he wanted. He had realised that the conversation the previous night had been reassuring for George and was keen to encourage George and Lauren's friendship. "One for Hermione," he said, passing the fourth one to his wife, "and Ginny, because if I don't give you one then Mum will probably set up camp at the shop until she can call her best girl whenever she wants."

Ginny took the proffered mirror with a huge smile. "Thanks, Fred," she said, waving the mirror at Molly in glee.

"And one more, up for grabs," George said, reaching into the box for the last time. "Remember you'll all get one eventually, if you want it. So it's just a question of who's in the first run of testing. Ronnikins? Percypoos? Billiam?"

"May I have the final one?" Fleur asked quietly. "I am enjoying helping Lauren owl, and Bill and Charlie have always been so close … it would be nice to be more closely linked with you… And when we have babies too…" she trailed off.

"Absolutely," said George, putting the last mirror into Fleur's hands and closing her fingers around it. She gave him a brilliant smile, absentmindedly turning her veela charm his way, making Ginny and Hermione laugh when he almost swooned.

"Are we going to need Fred and Charlie to pull him away?" Ginny whispered.

"Nah, I think he's good," Hermione shot back, giggling under her breath as George swayed and then stepped backwards and away from Fleur's unwitting spell. Fred slapped him on the shoulder and they nodded at each other.

"Alright, everybody take yourselves and your glasses to the edges of the roof, please," commanded Fred, and everybody apart from himself, George and Elliot moved backwards.

"You too, mate," George said, grinning at the tiny wizard before picking him up and handing him to Lauren with a laugh. He and Fred then took their wands and, with a co-ordinated flourish that they had clearly practised, enlarged the main picnic table. As it grew, it sprouted additional benches and several of the sofas temporarily shrunk and moved out of the way. The twins then pointed their wands to the stack of pizza boxes and half of them flew into the middle of the table, their lids springing open as they did.

"Pizza is served," Fred announced, as George vanished each of the box lids and then leaned over with Lauren's pizza cutter. He was slightly disappointed to find that the pizzas were already cut, and he only needed to use it once or twice where the pizza hadn't quite been cut all the way through, but he persevered with it just to see the delighted look on his father's face.

"Please take a seat and dive in," Fred said, smiling at the seemingly awestruck Weasley family. His last act before stepping over a bench and seating himself in between Hermione and Lauren was to levitate the napkin basket slowly around the table so that everybody could take one as it passed them. "You'll all need one of these," he said. Then he looked at Ron. "Some of you will need a few!"

"I'm so excited," said Harry, the first to reach in for a large slice of the pepperoni pizza. "I've only ever had pizza cold before," he told the Weasleys. When Molly looked at him, aghast, he shrugged. "I got Dudley's leftovers," he said. "I liked it well enough, but I've always wanted to try it hot." He stuffed half a piece of pizza into his mouth in one go and immediately winced at how it burned his tongue but refused to let Ginny vanish the pizza that he was chewing in order to cast a cooling charm on him.

"No," he mumbled through the dough, "it's amazing. Try it."

Ginny reached for a piece, a bit unsure as to how she should hold it. She stole a glance at Lauren and Hermione, who were both using slightly different techniques but with enough in common for Ginny to see that the end of the triangle was the fragile bit and it seemed to be useful to fold the rest of the slice so that it curved into a U shape.

"It stops the toppings from slipping off," Lauren explained, showing Ginny and several other Weasleys how she was holding the triangle of margarita. "Not saying this is the right or only way," she added, "but it works for me." She held her piece of pizza out towards Elliot, who was sitting next to her, on Charlie's lap. "Blow!" she told him. "It's hot!" And he did, cooling it several times with his breath before he leaned forward and bit a tiny piece off.

Next to her, Charlie raised his eyebrows and she held the pizza up to his mouth next.

"Not going to tell me to blow on my pizza?" he asked.

"I am not," she laughed. "The rest of you are quite big enough to make your own decisions about that sort of thing."

"Not sure that's entirely true," said Ginny, pointing to Percy, who was having a cooling charm cast on his mouth by Penelope.

"No, don't!" he told them, a bit embarrassed to have been spotted. "I didn't know it would be that hot."

"Try the plain one next time, Percy," Lauren suggested, pointing to the pizza that she was sharing with Elliot. "That's the spicy meat feast; it has three different kinds of hot peppers on as well as pepperoni, so it's hot in more ways than one!"

"Yeah, we got that one for Freddie," teased George, earning himself a poke in the ribs from his twin. But Fred was too happy to mind any of the usual 'chilli wimp' comments from George. He was so enjoying watching his family enjoy their pizza. It was, he realised, the first time since they had left Hogwarts that he and George had been able to treat their entire family to a meal, in their own place, which was effectively the fruits of their labour. It felt really good. Picking up on his thought, Hermione leaned her head on his shoulder and tipped her head back so she could smile up at him.

"I've got something much nicer for you later," she told him.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yes," she said. "You're so lovely to me, and I wanted to do something lovely for you." She looked around. "When we're finally alone…"

Fred smiled. "That'll be tomorrow then, I reckon."

Hermione wouldn't have been able to read from his face how he really felt about that, but the sensation she felt through the bond told her that he didn't mind. He was half-expecting George to end up in their bed, what with Angelina away, but she was still conscious of the near argument that they had had a couple of weeks before over her focus on caring for everyone else.

"I'm caring for you, and the shop, this time," she told him softly, and he nodded.

"I know, love," he said.

"As soon as we have Georgie a bit more sorted," she whispered into his ear, "do you think we should try and have a night or two away, by ourselves?"

"Fuck yes," he whispered back. "In fact, we could do something next weekend, when they're at the cove, if you like? I'll get Lee and Vee to bring in extra staff and we'll take our own break?"

"Perfect," Hermione smiled, looking up into his eyes and wiping a dot of pizza sauce from the corner of his mouth before giving him a soft kiss.

Breaking apart, they realised that they should attend to their guests and looked over at Molly and Arthur, who were watching each other and giggling like teenagers. Hermione hadn't been sure how Molly would take to pizza; not only was it an unusual food to her, but she had heard many a lecture from the older witch on the subject of eating properly with utensils and not fingers. But Molly appeared to be diving in and enjoying the new food, having fashioned a napkin into a rather cleverly designed pizza holder with her wand.

Arthur had declined a similar pizza holder. He was proudly holding his pizza in his bare hands, just like Lauren, and telling anybody who would listen just how marvellous it was. Clearly determined to try a slice of every different type, he was listening avidly to Bill's tales about muggle foods that were eaten like this, around shared tables and with hands rather than cutlery.

"Then there's Injera bread," Bill was saying, "which you dip into different sauces … kalwa or ful, if memory serves. And then there's fufu from West Africa. There, you eat your soup by dipping it with the fufu; it's a very old muggle tradition, the sharing of food in this way."

Arthur was transfixed at Bill's story of foods that he had met on his travels for Gringotts, but not distracted enough to keep track of his cataloguing of the different kinds of pizza. "So Fred and George," he said, when Bill had finished his explanation, "talk us through the pizza varieties that we have, please."

Fred looked at Lauren. "Can you, love? I'm not sure I can remember?"

"Of course," she told him, wiping her fingers so that she could point around the table as she explained. "OK, so we start with the simple and mild margarita. That's just cheese and tomato and it's the only kind Elliot likes."

"I like that one too," Molly told Elliot from across the table. Fred smiled; he wasn't surprised. Molly had done well to embrace the notion of pizza and he didn't expect her to go for the more exotic-looking toppings. He was proud of her for giving it a go though.

"Next up is ham and mushroom." Lauren looked at Molly. "You may like to try that one; it's not spicy."

"Alright," Molly smiled and allowed George to levitate her a piece over.

Next, Lauren pointed out a veggie pizza, explaining the difference between different kinds of peppers, and making a mental note to ask Hermione later whether the lack of peppers in the Weasley household was a magical thing or the result of Molly's more traditional approach to cooking. Elliot scrambled down from the table, bored with the conversation, and toddled around the other side. When he arrived next to Fleur, he patted her arm until the blonde witch smiled and lifted him into her lap, where he snuggled in to listen. Bill smiled down at them and took over feeding Fleur bites of her pizza so that she could keep her arms around Elliot.

"And as this is the most popular kind of pizza in the muggle world," Lauren continued, pointing to the pepperoni pizzas. "We got a few of these. It's pepperoni, which is a kind of spicy sausage. But then we get a bit controversial." She nodded to George and then looked around, pausing for effect. "Be aware that this is a huge debate in muggle circles. It divides families," she said dramatically, as George levitated another pizza from the side, dropped it into an empty space and then vanished the lid. "Ham and pineapple!" she announced.

"PINEAPPLE?!" Ron's voice made Elliot jump, and Ginny frowned at him.

"I'd have put money on that," Fred said under his breath to George as every head turned to see the look of disgust on Ron's face.

"That's not right," Ron added. After twenty minutes of eating pizza, he now considered himself an expert.

"Well," said Lauren, "many people would agree with you, Ron, but not everyone."

"Is anyone going to brave it?" asked Fred, reaching for two slices and handing one to George. "There's enough of each kind for everyone to try a slice."

"I'll give it a try, thank you," said Penelope, taking a piece for her and another for Percy when he nodded at her raised eyebrows. Lauren shook her head and laughed.

"Not for me, thank you. I'm a committed pepperoni and meat feast girl," she told them.

"Oh yes," said Fred. "The piece de resistance!" He looked at Fleur to see if she had caught his use of her native tongue. She had, and was laughing at his French accent. He had been pleasantly surprised to see that, contrary to his expectation, she hadn't been 'too posh to pizza' at all. She had tucked a napkin into the front of her blouse and piled in with gusto. She was still piling in, but now with Bill's help, and she laughed softly when the end of the soft dough drooped down and he missed her mouth. Bill took that as an excuse to move in and lick the sauce from her lips and chin before giving her a kiss. Elliot, beginning to doze now despite the noise, did not comment.

"Spicy meat feast!" Fred declared next. "Only for the brave at heart, which as we all know does not include me," he put his hand on his chest, "for I am a self-confessed chilli wimp!"

The laughter was raucous and once Fred and George had tried their ham and pineapple pizza (deciding that they didn't need to get one of those the next time unless anyone else particularly requested it) they stood to remove the empty boxes and bring in the last few pizzas that had been left on the table under a heating charm. At the same time, they went around the table in opposite directions to top up everybody's drinks.

"This is lovely, thank you," Molly told George as he poured her another glass of pink wine.

"Yes," said Arthur, "you've done a wonderful job, boys. What a marvellous experience."

George patted them each on the back, a bit unsure of how to respond to such praise from his parents. It was causing both twins to feel quite emotional; something they hadn't anticipated. The two tall men moved back towards their seats but, rather than sitting back down immediately, they leaned towards each other, each putting an arm around the other's back, nestling together in a hug. Their mental picture was clear and made Hermione's heart swell with love. George and Fred both felt proud to have been able to do this for their family.

Bill spotted them first, and gave them a nod before picking up his glass and standing from his seat. "Mum, Dad, everyone, will you allow me to make a toast?" he asked, and Arthur and Molly nodded.

"Of course, Bill." It was Arthur who spoke, but they were both delighted for their eldest son to address the family.

"This seems like a good point in the proceedings to say thank you," Bill began, "to our two favourite pranksters, and of course," he smiled at Hermione and then Lauren, "the lovely women who keep them on the straight and narrow and take them to the pizza shop." Lots of laughter at that. "Thank you for a wonderful evening, you two, but more importantly," he slowed down and then paused and looked around the group, knowing that this was an important acknowledgement of the twins' success to date. "Congratulations. Well done to the two of you for what you've created. Such an incredible achievement, especially given what's been going on around us, and it's just such a pleasure to come here and share in and toast your success. To Gred and Forge!" he said, raising his glass.

"Gred and Forge!" the chorus rang out and Hermione was sure that the toast could have been heard throughout Diagon Alley. Bill looped his long legs over the bench and strode around to the twins, pulling the two of them into a hug.

"Speech!" shouted Charlie, causing a few people to laugh.

Fred and George looked at each other. "We've not really prepared a speech," Fred said.

"No," George added. "Just thank you for coming. We're really happy that we can do this, and we'd like to do it again sometime if you enjoyed it?"

Although they couldn't pick out the individual responses to their question, it was clear from the volume and tone of their family's response that the rest of the Weasleys were very much up for more pizza nights.

"There is something we'd like to ask you all, though," said Fred, and then looked at George, picking up on his brother's worry. "Oh," he said, "but we're worried you're going to think we're buttering you up first with pizza." The two men looked at each other for a moment, and then Hermione stood up and joined them.

"We've had pizza night planned for a while, as you know," she said, taking one of Fred and George's hands in each of hers, "and what we're going to say next is unrelated, but we're facing a bit of a challenge caused by the threatened marriage law and the increasing numbers of people in Diagon Alley. It's a good challenge," she said, with a smile, "but it has left us awfully short of products and we had to close the shop this afternoon."

"I wondered how that would affect you," Bill muttered. "Saw the crowds from my office; it looked like a swarm of bees was descending on you at one point."

"We desperately need some help," Fred said. He looked at George, who was hopping from one foot to the other.

"We won't hand the recipes or the charms out to just anyone, of course, so we were wondering if maybe," George had moved towards Molly and bent down to slip his arms around his mum's waist as he spoke, "we could all meet up earlier at The Burrow on Sunday and we'll bring the drinks and maybe Mum could take our cash bag when you go tonight and get whatever supplies you need to feed anyone that could come over and help us with product creation and packaging? It would be a great chance to catch up with each other more as well…"

Molly looked delighted to be asked and she squeezed George's arm in a gesture that led him know she was more than happy with that, but before he could thank her he heard another, more concerned, voice.

"Oh please…" They turned to see Lauren speaking from her seat next to Charlie. "Couldn't I do that? The food, I mean? Because Molly has a wand and could help with making the products, and I can't do that, but I'd really like to help too…" She trailed off, but Fred and George had been more than ready for this and jumped in before Molly could protest in any way.

"Oh no, love," they said in unison, before Fred continued. "We have a much more important job for you, if you'll take it!"

Hermione put her hand on Fred's arm. "Really, we do. We need everyone else who has a wand to work on creation and packing, including the three of us, as there's so much to do, so we were rather hoping that we could draw on your creative flair?"

"Oh," said Lauren, a little surprised and very pleased that there was something useful that she could do. "What would that entail?"

"Well," said George. "'Mione is going to be in overall charge of where we're all up to, so we get as much done as possible. Someone needs to be the manager," he shrugged, "and look at the bigger picture. And Freddie and I will brew and sort of float and help people learn the spells, but we also need someone to take charge of designing and stocking the area that's going to house our new product line." Charlie shot him a grateful look as Fred continued.

"It's just that you've clearly got a flair for that, from seeing your house, and we've got an area in the shop that we want to ask Charlie to help with too, so we were wondering if the two of you could go back and forth on site … you can floo between The Burrow and the shop if you don't want to apparate," he offered.

"I'm getting better at apparating," Lauren said, meeting his smile with one of her own.

"I would sit down with you beforehand and explain what we need," Hermione offered.

"You'll be great," said Fred. "And we'd be really grateful, because we can then all work on the existing products. And if Elliot would like a job, we have one for him too!" They had already discussed this, and George had come up with the idea of giving Elliot a pile of pygmy puff treats and having him sort them by colour and put them into paper bags.

Lauren looked over at Elliot to see if he was following. He wasn't. He was asleep on Fleur's shoulder and the two women smiled at each other before Lauren touched Charlie's arm and he nodded, going over to take his son from his sister-in-law.

"Just put him in our bed," said Hermione. "And bring the ear on the nightstand and give it to George..."

Charlie nodded and headed downstairs. A few of the group decided to take the opportunity to refresh their glasses. Fred and George moved the few remaining slices of pizza into one box, jokingly offering them to Harry in case he wanted to take them home and have them cold, for old times' sake, and sent them downstairs to the fridge when he laughingly declined.

"Only hot pizza for me from now on," he declared. "Thanks to you two, I've been ruined for cold pizza for ever more!"

The table was replenished with Molly's dessert. "Right," said Molly, taking charge of serving. As soon as she finished, she turned to her middle son. "Get me parchment and a quill please, Fred."

Fred went to look for his wand but Hermione touched his arm, removing both of the requested items from her handbag and passing them to Molly.

"So how far behind are you?" Molly asked.

"We've got three main problems," said George, holding up his thumb and fingers to illustrate. "We've got a potions backlog because we have a load of stuff made that isn't packaged. We were already going to ask for help with the packaging of new products because we're trying to get a 'date basket' range out to help Kings, and today's rush has almost cleared us out of some of our core products."

"And," said Hermione, "we need to think ahead a bit for the back-to-school rush…"

Molly looked at her. "That's not needed for this week though, I assume? It's still only July, and the lists won't be out yet."

"No," said Hermione. "You're right. We have a bit more time for that … it's just that we need to get into thinking ahead, so that we don't end up in the same place again."

"Absolutely," said Molly, "and I propose we arrange a second event for the back-to-school problem, but perhaps if we just focus on what's needed for next week for now?"

Fred and George's faces were a picture. As Hermione nodded, she caught sight of the two of them, awestruck by their mother's organisational skills.

"What?" said Molly, briskly but not unkindly. "How do you think I raised the seven of you to be such amazing people, without being able to rise up and manage a bit of a crisis? Not to mention getting one of you married off overnight," she winked.

Arthur slipped his arm around Molly's waist and gave her a kiss on the cheek, which made her blush. "We managed a wedding in twenty-four hours; we can certainly restock a shop with a clear Sunday," he said.

"Now," Molly raised her voice and looked around at her assembled family. Recognising her authority, they gave her their full attention. Quietly, Charlie slipped back into the group, handing George the magical ear as he headed back to sit beside Lauren and smile to let her know that Elliot was happily settled in Fred and Hermione's bed.

"Now," she said again, "is there anyone who cannot come to The Burrow for the day on Sunday?"

A few seconds of silence followed. At first, no-one dared speak, and several couples looked at each other, shrugged, and then looked back at Molly. Charlie and Lauren were exchanging a few words as she brought him up-to-date with the conversation.

"As you know, we're going to the reserve on Sunday evening," Charlie said, once she had finished, "but we can pack beforehand and be there until we portkey out on Sunday."

"Good, good," said Molly, looking around again. "Anyone else? No? Excellent. Right…" It was almost silent again as she scribbled a few things down. "So," she said, "Hermione will manage you lot, the twins will teach and supervise, Lauren and Charlie will be in charge of refurbishments in the store itself, and I will supply meals, drinks and cake. Elliot can be with whichever one of us he chooses," she smiled indulgently at Lauren, still more delighted at having a grandson than anything else in the world. "He can come and help me make cakes tomorrow if you and Charlie would like some time to get yourselves packed," she offered, and Lauren nodded.

"Thank you; I'll talk to him in the morning and we'll call you." She held up her new phone with a smile.

Molly patted the pocket with her mirror in, her eyes flashing in delight as she remembered her new communication device. "Lovely." Then she turned back to the twins and Hermione. "So you three can organise us between you, and with Charlie and Lauren at the shop I calculate that there are seven other Weasleys with wands plus Harry and Penelope who are here and have said they're coming, plus any of your other special others or friends who would like to join. I'll have breakfast ready anytime from eight thirty."

"Bloody hell," said Ron, when Molly stopped to inhale and sip her wine.

"Indeed," Harry replied, under his breath.

Ron looked between Harry and Hermione, his eyes large. "So much is happening and I haven't even got my chocolate frogs out yet!"


	70. Chocolate frogs, bacon & brotherly love

Once everyone had had their fill of pizza and dessert, Fred and George invited them all to step back towards the edges of the roof garden again and, using their wands in unison, they returned the dinner table to its usual size and brought the sofas back into cosy arrangements. Ron insisted on sitting next to Lauren, which intrigued Charlie.

"You're not usually the one wanting to brush up on Muggle Studies, Ron," he joked.

"He is when there's chocolate involved," Harry said.

"Oh! Now it makes sense! Well here you are then," Charlie swept his hand to indicate that Ron should take a seat on the sofa next to Lauren, while Charlie moved to sit on her other side.

Lauren turned to Charlie. "Could you summon my handbag please?"

"Oh gods," he said, leaning in to give her a kiss while lifting his wand and doing as she asked. "I love it when you talk magic…"

Handbag settled on her lap, Lauren reached in and brought out a colourful, medium-sized grab bag of chocolates. "It's a variety pack," she said, giving it to Ron. "So you can try tiny bits of a few different muggle chocolate bars. If you make a note of their names," she continued, "you can tell me which ones you like best, for the purpose of Christmas and your birthday."

"That's brilliant," he said. "Thank you." Then he reached into the pocket of his robes. "Here's yours."

"Oh yum, thank YOU," replied Lauren, admiring the blue and gold pentagon-shaped box before breaking the seal with her thumbnail and then lifting its lid.

Then she shrieked. The chocolate frog had immediately jumped towards her. It landed on the fabric covering her left breast before beginning an ascent up her dress towards her face, causing her to jump up from the sofa and spill her wine. The frog clung to her dress as she continued to back away, shaking the fabric in the hope of dislodging it.

Charlie hadn't realised what was happening quite quickly enough. It was George who came flying towards Lauren, flicking the frog towards Ron with a quick wave of his wand while scooping and then hugging the distressed young woman into his side with his left arm. "You're OK, it's not real," he reassured her. "It's gone," he said, more quietly this time, as Lauren's hand went to her chest, trying to still her racing heart.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she said, "it just made me jump … I had no idea!"

"Of course you wouldn't," said Charlie, coming to stand on her other side and glaring at Ron. "Did you think that would be funny?" he asked his youngest brother.

"She asked for wizarding chocolate!" he said, a bit defensively, while still chewing on a tiny snickers bar.

"And you didn't warn her before she opened it?"

Ron hung his head. "I didn't think…" he said.

"And isn't that always the problem, Ron," said his mother, coming over to see what had happened and add her own reassurance to Lauren. "Now," Molly turned to Lauren herself, flicking her own wand to retrieve Lauren's wine glass, which had luckily fallen onto the sofa and thus remained unbroken. She dried the wet patches on the sofa and Lauren while issuing orders. "Fred, a refill for Lauren please. George, you and Charlie bring Lauren back over here. Ron, get up off that sofa. Where's that frog?"

Ron handed the still-wriggling frog over to his mother, who captured it in another empty wine glass which she then immediately transfigured into a sealed glass jar, placing it on a low table just a few feet from where Lauren sat, now squished protectively between Charlie and George. "Now, love," Molly said kindly. "They're not real frogs. They are chocolate that contains a magical substance that makes them move as if they were. They're completely harmless and really quite tasty, but someone," and she looked at Ron again, ensuring he was clear that he was the someone, "should have warned you."

"Sorry, Lauren," Ron said, and she gave him a smile.

"It's okay, Ron," she told him. "I just wasn't expecting that." She smiled at Fred, accepting the fresh glass of wine from him.

"And someone," she said, motioning to Fred, who squatted down in front of Lauren, "needs to teach you to cope with these." She passed the glass jar to her son. "Otherwise your kids will have an easy way to torment you, and we can't have that! Now, watch Fred" she announced, as he charmed the frog back into the box and closed the lid.

"Ready, love?" he asked, and Lauren nodded. "Okay. If you don't want it to jump about, the trick is to have your hand ready like this, and grasp a leg as you're opening the lid and before it can jump away."

He demonstrated with the ease of someone with many years of practice, holding the wriggling frog between his thumb and forefinger. "Want a bite?" he grinned, moving it just an inch towards Lauren, but reluctant to go further lest she jump again.

"You know those crazed heavy metal band frontmen? No," she said, seeing her new family's faces, "of course you don't. Well that's probably just as well, it's pretty gross anyway," she continued, as if chatting herself through the experience of biting into an apparently live creature would somehow make it easier. "You're sure it's not real, Fred?"

"I promise, love," he grinned. "Shall I stun it for you?"

"Or we could turn it into a solid square of chocolate if you like?" Charlie offered.

"Will it keep moving when it's in my mouth?"

"Want to know a secret?" said George, leaning in to speak softly into Lauren's ear.

"Of course I do," she told him, turning to face him. She was so happy that he seemed to be more relaxed since their chat.

"As soon as you break a bit, it stops moving," he said. "So if you take it from Freddie like this," he showed her on his own finger how she could grasp a limb, "and just move your fingers and snap it, it'll go still and you can eat it all up." His grin was as infectious as ever and Lauren found herself smiling back.

"Alright, then. Here I go…" Molly squeezed her arm in reassurance and she flashed her eyes at George and then Charlie, who slipped his arm more tightly around her as she leaned forward, took the frog from Fred and then, just as George had showed her, flicked her fingers, ceasing its movement.

Several people clapped loudly and Fred, who had held his hands underneath the frog just in case she didn't catch it in time, instead said, "oh, well done, love. Now you're invincible!"

Lauren laughed. "Thank you all." She held out her hands." Would anybody like a limb?"

"Oh no," said George. "You've earned the right to enjoy every morsel of that frog yourself!"

"Besides," added Fred, "I'm sure Ron will be offering us one of his chocolates soon."

Ron looked up, his jaws stopping mid-chew. Hermione smiled to herself at the horrified expression on his face. She loved that there were some things that hadn't changed, and she sincerely hoped that Ron would never lose his passion for chocolate or the aghast faces that he pulled whenever he was invited to share it.

"No need," Lauren said, "I thought of that." Leaning down, she pulled a second bag of miniature muggle chocolate bars out of her handbag. "This is for everyone else," she said, finding herself almost swamped by redheaded men wanting to hug her before they dived into the bag.

"How did you get on in Sainsburys?" Hermione asked, kneeling beside Fred on the wooden flooring in front of Lauren. Fred patted her and, having offered chocolates to George and Charlie, stood up to go and pass them around the rest of the family.

Lauren smiled, looking at Charlie. "Do you want to answer that or should I?" she asked him.

Charlie smiled widely. "I had a lovely time, but I have a lot to learn."

Lauren leaned forward. "I had to ask him to put his wand in my handbag for my own peace of mind before we even reached the end of the vegetable aisle," she said. "I was that worried he was going to start using it, in his excitement. It didn't help that Elliot was asking him to 'atchoo' things either, although we did end up meeting a nice older woman who heard him, put two and two together and came over to introduce herself. Turns out she's a witch married to a non-wizard. Said she wouldn't have said anything except that my boys' red hair confirmed it! Apparently you're a well-known wizarding family," she grinned, "which doesn't surprise me at all!"

"Oh, how lovely," said Hermione.

"It was," Lauren replied. "We had a cup of tea together in the café afterwards, and she gave Charlie some tips on fitting in. It was good to be able to ask her how she and her husband managed things as well. What with that and all of you and Penelope's mum, my wizarding education is coming along nicely!"

"Here, 'Mione…" Hermione looked up when she heard George's voice. Shuffling forward on the sofa, he stood and indicated for Hermione to take his place on the sofa next to Lauren so that they could continue chatting while he headed off for another chocolate.

Hermione sat down, squeezing George's arm in thanks. As soon as he had left to catch up with Fred, Molly headed to the sofa and leaned in to speak.

"Now that it's just the four of us," she said, looking at Lauren, "I can tell you that I've contacted my friend and we're going to have tea on Monday morning. Arthur will look after Elliot for an hour while I floo up and talk to her."

"Oh that's great, thank you", Lauren replied, and Charlie added a word of thanks as well, though Hermione looked puzzled. "It's not a secret." Lauren continued. "I talked to Molly … Mum today. About Elliot." She paused, forming her next sentence. "He was already verbally advanced when it was just the two of us, and to some extent that's to be expected; he had my full attention, I'm articulate and I chatted to him all the time. But since we met you all … well he's two and a bit going on fifteen! Except without the mood swings!" She raised her eyebrows and tipped her head to one side, shaking it a bit. "Rather than having tantrums, like most two year olds, he seems to spend his energy puzzling out the best ways of getting what he wants. I can't help but wonder if it's something to do with the magic, so I asked Mum if there was someone I could talk to. Maybe an expert in child development or education."

"So Minerva has made time to have tea with me; I'll fill her in and see what she thinks and then, once Lauren and Charlie are back, they can meet with her if they like."

"That's good," smiled Hermione. She turned to Lauren. "Minerva is the same friend that I mentioned before, when we talked about Elliot and his abilities. She already knows a little, from me."

"I'll just be relieved to know," Lauren smiled. "I mean, it's hardly a problem to have a super-bright child, but it'd be good to know if there's anything I can do to help him … maybe start reading early, or something. Or maybe he needs to do some magic," she said, "but I don't know if that's possible, or allowed."

Molly patted her hand. "Don't worry about it," she said. "You just enjoy Romania, and Charlie," she winked, making Lauren pull a suggestive face which in turned caused Hermione to laugh. She excused herself from the conversation for a moment, sensing that Fred wanted to say something to her. When he told her in a low voice that he could sense that George was keen to not sleep alone, and expressed the hope that another really good night's sleep would further cement his recovery, Hermione quickly nodded and then turned back to Lauren.

"Leave Elliot here with us tonight, if you like," she said, "and have a night to yourselves. He's still fast asleep," she added, looking at George, who confirmed that with a nod, "and one of us can bring him back to you in the morning."

"You sure?" Lauren asked. She looked over at Charlie with a smile. It would be lovely to have another night alone together, although she knew she only had to wait until Sunday evening, after which they would be by themselves in Romania for a few days while Elliot stayed with Molly and Arthur. All the arrangements had now been made and Molly had thoroughly reassured Lauren that this was the right thing to do.

Hermione nodded. If there had been fewer people around, she might have told her friend that she had Fred had had a lovely romp by the lake that afternoon and all she wanted to do once they had cleared up after pizza night was to hold his hand and fall asleep. Instead, she simply said, "I'm tired; I'm leaving these two to clear up what they need to when we're done … he'll not get in the way of anything, and Fred loves practising."

Charlie had leaned back into the conversation while they were speaking and, at that, both he and Lauren smiled. They had heard about what Hermione had said to the Diagon Alley crowds earlier in the day. All the family now knew, in fact, though only Molly had yet said anything to Hermione about her pledge to start a family within the next couple of years.

"He can sleep with me, if you two want to be alone," George said to Hermione. "With Angie away all weekend, I'll be glad of the company."

Fred and Hermione exchanged a quick glance. Both could feel the tiny pang of loneliness in George's words, but both were also aware that George was still having nightmares and weren't sure how that might affect Elliot if it was just the two of them in George's room. Hermione sent Fred – and thus George – a quick image.

"That's a great idea," said Fred. "But rather than risk waking him up by moving him, we'll make our bed big and you can sleep on the other side of him. And then," he grinned at George, "you can do the early morning bathroom run when he wakes us up at five and says he needs a wee!"

George nodded; secretly delighted that he would get to sleep in with Fred as well, which always improved the quality of his rest when Angelina was away. He wouldn't even mind the early rising and exuberant nephew if it meant relaxing into that kind of peace for a few hours. Then his face lit up further and he reached into his pocket as his mirror phone rang. He flicked it open and peered into the reflective glass, without saying anything. There, smiling and waving back, was Bill. The two men waved to each other and pulled funny faces for a few seconds before Hermione and Lauren burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" George asked.

Lauren turned to Hermione. "Shall we show them?"

"I think we should," Hermione replied, standing up again and moving a few feet away from the sofa on which Lauren and Charlie sat.

Lauren took the phone that the twins had given her out of her bag. She pressed the number '3' and Hermione lifted her own mirror out of her pocket, flicking it open with her thumb.

"Hello?" she said, smiling to Lauren in the mirror.

"Hello lovely," Lauren said, smiling back.

"Hi, how are you?" Hermione asked.

"I'm good, thanks," Lauren replied. "Just wondering if you could tell Fred and George how much I love my new phone!"

"Oh, I can do that," said Hermione. "I'll ring them now. See you soon … bye!"

"Bye!" Lauren and Hermione closed their phones and Hermione then opened hers again.

"Phonus George Weasley!" she commanded, and George scrambled excitedly to answer the phone in his pocket.

"Hello love," he said, a huge grin on his face when he appeared in her mirror. "How can I help you?"

"Hello Georgie," Hermione said. "I'm calling to tell you from Lauren that she loves her new phone!"

"That's fab," he said, and Fred's face appeared in the mirror as well, making Hermione laugh.

"I've just thought of a new use for this," Fred winked suggestively at his wife, who blushed amidst a wave of laughter from the rest of the Weasleys. Unnoticed by her, Bill and Fleur and Harry and Ginny also exchanged excited looks at Fred's idea.

"I'm not quite sure how to reply to that…" she told him, generating more chuckles. "Usually, phone conversations are more private than this," she announced more generally. "Muggles can't see each other on their phones," she informed her family. "And only the person holding the phone can hear the other end of the conversation."

"I bet that will change once Fred and George's idea gets out," said Harry. "Everyone will want to do this!"

"Yes, well, thank you for your call," Hermione said to the twins, via the mirror. "I need to pour myself another glass of wine now. Byee!"

"Bye, love," they chorused, giving each other a high five in their excitement.

The rest of the evening was punctuated by a series of phone calls, as the Weasleys with new phones (or, rather, phonable mirrors) called each other, and the Weasleys without new phones either joined in the conversations or borrowed the mirrors to take their own turn. It got rather silly at times, but Hermione was happy to see that the key principles of phone calling were being learned nonetheless. By ten o'clock, however, everyone was taking their leave; thanking the twins and Hermione for a successful evening and promising to help out with product creation and packaging on one or both days over the weekend. After some friendly bickering, Molly agreed to take the cash purse that Fred and George offered, telling her that they insisted that all the food and drink costs should come out of the shop's takings.

"We've had a bumper week, Mum," Fred had said. "And the products we're going to make will bring in even more."

But it was George who played the trump card. "If you don't let us do this, we won't feel OK about asking again…" He looked into his mother's eyes so that she could see he was serious. "And we would love to make this an occasional family event if everyone has fun, as long as we can treat you all in return for your help."

Fred suppressed a grin and instead sent a wave of congratulations through the twin bond.

"Did the sorting hat consider Slytherin for you two?" Hermione asked, as they waved off the last of the Weasleys and began to clear up.

"Course it did," said Fred, taking an empty wine bottle out of her hand and giving her a kiss. "But we negotiated our way into Gryffindor…"

"Hmmm," said Hermione, accepting Fred's suggestion that she go down and use the bathroom first, while he and George finished clearing up. "That doesn't surprise me one bit!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Hermione woke first the next morning, raising herself to look over Fred's still-sleeping body and smiling to see that George had cuddled Elliot up on his chest while his feet were tangled up with those of his twin. Both Graham and his girlfriend had adopted their favourite sleeping position at the top of Elliot's head, from where they could keep watch. Amazed that she had awoken before her nephew, she pressed a soft kiss to Fred's naked shoulder and then slowly moved herself out of bed.

Hermione loved being awake, up and about first. If she managed to get even a few things done before the rest of the household arose, she felt better for the whole day, even if she didn't achieve anything else. Quickly, she made a mug of tea for herself, another for Fred and a large, fresh coffee for George. Not wanting to risk waking up the two wizards and their small charge, she levitated the hot drinks onto the bedside tables and placed them under a warming charm. Sending a tippy cup containing pumpkin juice along for Elliot, she then softly closed the bedroom door and put a silencing charm on the main area of the flat so that she wouldn't awaken them. She made quick work of making a large plateful of warm bacon sandwiches and took two into the living room after casting a warming charm over the others. More often than not, it was Fred who made breakfast, and she wanted to surprise him for a change.

By the time she heard Elliot chatting with Fred about the best way to wake up his Forgie, Hermione had munched through two sandwiches, drunk a large cup of tea and got three quarters of the way through her plans. In the hope of completing the rest of her planning before she was interrupted, she moved herself, her paperwork and another mug of tea up to the roof, sending a message to Fred so he wouldn't worry. He (and the bacon sandwiches) managed to give her another twenty minutes before Elliot insisted on looking for Miney and, when she heard the toddler's pleas, she called down to say that she had done the bulk of her planning and would love for them to join her.

"I've just got small things left now," she said, kissing Fred as she welcomed Elliot onto her lap, allowing the little boy to turn around so he could see his uncle as well. "It was the masterplan that I needed space for, and I got that, so I'm happy now!"

"Fred said we can go out!" Elliot announced, and Fred ruffled his hair. The tiny wizard seemed to have an excess of enthusiasm this morning.

"You can come with us or we'll just take ourselves for a bit of a walk to use up some energy before I drop him off, whatever you prefer?" Fred asked. "Thanks for the sarnies. Georgie says he's going to save himself for his crepes," he winked.

"Please come with us!" Elliot asked, and Hermione hugged him closer.

"I'd love to," she said. "But do you have any clean clothes?"

Elliot shrugged.

"Come to the bathroom with me then, mate," Fred said, "and we'll charm the pizza stains off these ones. And you didn't have a bath last night, did you, so maybe you should have a quick shower with me before we go out?" He looked at Hermione again. "That'll give you another twenty minutes."

"Perfect," she smiled.

Elliot looked excited at that prospect. "Do you have dragons on you?" he asked Fred as they headed downstairs to the bathroom.

"No," he said, laughing. "Just white freckly skin, sorry mate."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

When George shared his latest gossip while sipping on home-brewed coffee and parked in front of a generous plate of her fresh crepes, Fleur considered it a very fair exchange. She would gladly have made her brother-in-law his favourite breakfast anytime he asked, but the knowledge that she could cross the shop stockroom off her bingo card was an added bonus.

"I still have the other two locations to go, though," she said, with an enigmatic smile as she ate. "But, as one of them is Charlie's cabin, and as Charlie owes Bill for toning down your mother, I am confident that I can facilitate that."

"What's the other?" Bill asked, still chomping through his own crepes.

Fleur wrinkled her nose. "The hallway at The Burrow." She gave a Gallic shrug. "I don't know what I can do about that … I am thinking about it more."

"How are you doing with yours?" George asked Bill.

"The bathroom in your flat, well I'd be amazed if that hadn't been blessed already?" Bill studied George's expression intently as he spoke. Then, long experience of the twins' mannerisms led to a broad smile breaking out on the older man's face. "Excellent!" he said. "Then we have Ron's bedroom, which is harder, though not impossible, and the utility room at Mum's, and I may have dropped something into your other half's ear last night about the joy of having sex on a washing machine that's under a laundry spell." He winked, making George laugh.

"Good luck with that then!"

Bill stood and gave Fleur a kiss, thanking her for breakfast and promising that it would be his turn tomorrow. Fleur laughed and pointed out that, with a day at The Burrow ahead of them, they would only need a bit of toast, to which Bill replied with a wink, "Exactly, love. I'm not silly." Then he turned to George. "Let's go and walk on the beach a bit."

George looked over at his eldest brother. He had only just put down his fork with a huge sigh of contentment. Standing up himself, he bade Fleur an effusive thank you which he accompanied with a kiss on both of her cheeks, making her smile in pleasure.

"Charlie tells me you've had the big sister chat with Lauren." Bill said, once their long legs had made short work of crossing the garden and they had reached the edge of the beach. "Reckon I should get a turn too."

George laughed, though Bill could immediately tell that it wasn't as carefree a sound as normal.

"Did it help?"

"Yeah, it did actually," George said. "More than I thought it would. Lauren helped make me see that it's OK to feel the way I do." Then he shrugged. "I get that it's going to take time to heal. Just wish I could speed it up a bit. Couldn't even cast a corporeal patronus yesterday; had to send an owl to Fred instead."

"If there was a way, would you take it?" Bill asked slowly, picking up a womb-shaped shell from the beach and rubbing it clean. He put it in his pocket, planning to place it on the tiny alter that he and Fleur had back at the cottage. They had created it as a way of asking for help with their fertility, and they enjoyed placing new offerings on it.

George turned to look at him. They were walking parallel with the shoreline now, just a few feet from where the waves were breaking. Then he stopped walking and turned the other way, looking out to sea.

"As long as it didn't interfere with my long-term recovery," he said. "Talking with Lauren helped me accept that it's no good going for the quick fix; that it's a process. But yeah, if there was something I could do that would help me feel better and let Fred and 'Mione have more space and that wouldn't cock things up for the long term, fuck yes." He turned to Bill. "What did you have in mind?"

A smirk broke across Bill's face. He might have the edge when it came to age and experience, but very little got past his twin brothers and he wasn't surprised that George had sensed that he had a plan in mind. Bill raised his eyebrows. "Remember the ward spell we did for Lauren last weekend?"

"Yeah?"

"We could do the same for you. You're already tied the wards by blood, of course, but it wouldn't hurt to tie you to them by love and magic as well, as we did with Lauren." He paused for a bit, wanting to get the words right. "I don't know if I'm right," he said, "but it's pretty clear to me that Freddie's run-in with the wall left more of an emotional scar on you than anybody. Because of your twin bond."

"Hmmmm." George felt a lump in his throat and was torn between swallowing it, lest his older brother feel uncomfortable with his tears, or following Lauren's advice and letting them flow.

Bill didn't notice George's reaction to his words, and carried on his explanation. "I think we could do some family magic to heal that a bit. Sort of a magical salve. Remind your body and your magical core that we're all safe and he's here and healthy and also that others care for you too. You'd still have work to do yourself, but it could be a bandage; like a … oh, fuck, Georgie…"

He had spotted the tears streaming uncontrollably down George's face. Quickly, he gathered his brother into his arms, the two tall men standing a bit awkwardly together. And then less so, when George heard Bill sniff and realised that his breathing was laboured and he was crying too. At that, they tightened their grip on each other and stayed locked together, swaying gently to the sound of the waves, for several long minutes.

"I think I'd really like that," George said, his voice unusually soft.

"Tomorrow," was Bill's gruff reply.

"Does it matter that Angie won't be there?"

George felt, rather than saw, the shake of Bill's head. "It'd be fine if she was, of course, but it's family love we need to anchor you to," he said, and then swore when he rubbed his eye and accidentally transferred a bit of sand into it.

"Wait," George laughed, pulling Bill's hand from his face and gently using his wand to remove the sand before Bill could rub it in further.

"Thanks."

"What a pair we are," he joked, looking sideways at Bill and wondering how they would move on from this unusual sharing of emotions.

"Ha!" Bill said. "You should have seen Charlie last weekend." Older brother instincts kicking in, he wanted to make George feel less alone; to know that he wasn't the only Weasley man who cried. "He was upset over Mum's tantrum, and Fleur kindly told him that I cried when she got her period and I found out we weren't pregnant…"

"Oh fuck, Bill," said George, feeling very sympathetic. "Are you OK?"

"I'm good," said Bill. "Just trying to focus on the positive."

"More time to practice?"

"Exactly," Bill laughed. "Now, you ready for more coffee?"

"That sounds brilliant, but then I'd better get back. Now I've got Fred AND Hermione to answer to!" He launched at Bill, nearly knocking him over as he administered another hug. "Thanks, mate."

Bill simply nodded in reply.


	71. Saturday

By the time George apparated back into the cupboard from his breakfast with Bill and Fleur and was caught up on events by Fred, Hermione appeared to have done half a day's work. Standing beside his twin in the workroom, Fred detailed how she had finished her planning, made a list and timetable and then set Fred to work making the most complex potions while she delivered Elliot back to Lauren and Charlie.

"Clever woman, my wife," Fred said. "She picked up coffee and pastries for them, detailed what we needed doing and then brought them all back with her, twenty minutes later," he explained, pausing only to count the number of stirs between adding murtlap to the potion. "So Charlie is out there working on the play area, with Lauren and Elliot on creative design and packaging puff treats!"

"Bloody hell!"

"I know!"

"Lee and Vee got here a few minutes ago, and they're waiting for you … I thought maybe you'd want to go and work with them on planning the restocking out there, so you're all on the same page, and 'Mione says she'll come back here and brew with me."

"Sure that's all you'll be doing?" George winked.

"Fuck yes," said Fred. "She's like a woman on a mission! I won't be getting any til we're done!"

"That is NOT true, Fred Weasley!" George began laughing as Hermione entered the room. "You may get some this evening, but only if you give me a nice massage after the bath which I will deserve after putting in a hard day's work in the shop!"

"I'll look forward to it!" Fred waggled his eyebrows and leaned sideways to give Hermione a kiss as she passed him.

She stopped and leaned in so that she could whisper in his ear, waiting until a still laughing George had left the room before she continued. "I do have something nice for you, actually," she told her husband. "When I was shopping yesterday, I may have picked up something red and silky to wear for you when we're next alone. You've done so many lovely things for me, after all; it seemed only fair to get you a treat…"

"Oh fuck, Hermione," Fred murmured, reaching for her, but she pulled back, laughing gently. "Don't stop stirring!" she warned him, with a wink. "We need that done and bottled before lunch!"

"God, I love it when you're bossy," he said, earning himself a tap on the bottom as Hermione passed him on her way to fetch another cauldron. He immediately felt himself becoming harder. "Oh no," he laughed, under his breath, causing Hermione to look over to see what the problem was.

"Oh," she breathed, putting her newly acquired cauldron down and coming towards him. He could do nothing; the potion was at the point where it needed to be stirred continuously for ten minutes, otherwise it would all be for nothing. "You seem to be in a bit of a predicament!"

He couldn't find the right words, for once, so his reply was a cross between a groan and a growl. He furrowed his brow as Hermione came to stand right in front of him, reaching for his groin with her hand. That time, the noise he made definitely came under the category of groaning. "Oh, gods, love…"

"If only the shop wasn't full of people," she said, leaning up to kiss the corner of his mouth and then bringing her fingers towards his lips. "Do you want me to kneel down and take care of you," she asked, showing him a box that she had brought downstairs with her, realising that they would all need treats to fuel their work, "or a chocolate to dull your ardour?"

"Fuck, do I really have to choose?" he asked.

"'Fraid so," she teased.

Fred sighed. "Better make it chocolate, for now," he said, resigned to the fact that the chances of them being walked in on were high. And it wasn't that he cared if anyone saw them, but as everyone was working hard to help solve their crisis, it was a bit disrespectful to be caught having sex rather than pulling his weight. "Later, though…"

"We'll give you a raincheck, as they say in the muggle U S of A," she winked, giving him a gentle squeeze before popping a piece of chocolate-covered honeycomb into his mouth.

By the time Molly flooed in at one, with a large picnic basket containing lunch for twenty – even though there were only nine of them in the store – everyone needed a break. She called through the store, announcing that food and butterbeer would be available in ten minutes, and Verity showed her to the staff room so that she could set it all out. Fred was delighted; their mum's timing just about allowed him to transfer his latest batch of potions into barrels, ready to be bottled and labelled, and get into the main area of the shop in time to check out Charlie's work before they stopped.

When he got there, his chin fell, and George came bouncing up to him. "It's amazing, isn't it?!"

Charlie's play area was indeed spectacular. Inspired by Elliot's love of his sandpit, he had wanted to make a tiny beach. But Lauren and Hermione had pointed out – rather boringly, Charlie had told them, with a sly grin – that parents probably wouldn't appreciate dealing with sand-encrusted children during a busy shopping trip. Then he had considered creating a forest, together with a few creatures, but he himself vetoed that idea because no-one would be there to take responsibility for the wellbeing of the animals. In the end, after a visit to Hermione's office where he had seen her window and realised the potential of the magic involved, he had created an indoor woodland adventure area. It featured springy grass which would cushion falls and encourage bouncing, tiny trees that were large enough to climb up and soft enough to not hurt and a wooden 'hide'. When you went inside the hide, a couple of windows allowed you to watch scenes of different kinds of animals, as if they were right outside the window.

To one side, there were a couple of quieter activity areas. One, which featured a sign declaring itself as 'Miney's corner', offered three tiny armchairs and a bookshelf filled with children's books. The next area contained low tables, paper, crayons and colouring sheets featuring magical creatures. Charlie had explained that, as he wasn't particularly good at drawing, Lee had done those.

But the final third of the play area was the one that Fred and George loved the best. It was a tiny replica of some key sections of Hogwarts castle. Charlie had transfigured stone walls, another soft floor – with a small bit of roped-off swamp in one corner, which he intended to have specially warded by Bill so that no-one would have to take a muddy child home – and a ceiling which was bewitched to look like the one in the Great Hall. This area held a special shelf containing samples of some of the joke shop's products that were safe for the smallest of witches and wizards. Those samples would turn out to be the best marketing idea the twins never had. The tiny adventurers had so much fun that many parents would gladly add another product to their intended purchases.

"This is wonderful, Charlie," Fred said. "Thanks, mate. I had no idea you were this creative."

"Well," Charlie said, putting his arm around Lauren. "I may have had a bit of help with some of the ideas." Then he grinned. "But the transfiguration was all me!"

"I tested!" Elliot told them proudly, clasping a bottle of magical bubble mixture that he had found in the joke shop area.

"So you did," said Hermione. "Thank you!"

He held the mixture out to Fred.

"You can keep that," Fred told him, crouching down to Elliot's level. "As a thank you present. And we'll get you more thank you presents too. And your dad," he said, looking up at Charlie. Fred had been wondering whether Elliot would like a pygmy puff of his own, but it wouldn't be fair to Lauren and Charlie to ask in front of the little boy, he knew.

"I just like being part of the team," Charlie shrugged. "Gonna miss that about working on the reserve," he said, "although," he hastily added, putting his arm around Lauren, "I'm in no doubt that this is where my heart lies now."

Lauren smiled at him, giving him a squeeze as Fred stood back up. "You can be a part of the team here anytime you like," he said. "I'd pay you to bring Georgie's morning coffee every day!" he joked.

"Lunch!" called Molly, opening the staff room door to summon her brood and their colleagues.

Fred turned, grinned, and saluted. "Be right with you, ma'am," he said, as Hermione smiled.

"He's a changed man!" Molly said quietly to Hermione as she held the door open for her newest daughter-in-law. "Well either that or you've brought out his secret best bits!"

Hermione laughed, settling herself onto a sofa between Verity and Charlie and opening a conversation about how they were all getting on. That turned into a plan for the afternoon and the next day. Charlie and Lauren would apparate back to Lauren's to pack for their trip and Molly would take Elliot to The Burrow, where they were going to make cakes. Molly made it clear that she insisted on feeding everyone that evening as well.

"There will be a stew under a warming charm from five thirty," she said briskly. "And cake. I don't mind when you come, and I don't mind how long you stay, but I want each of you to floo over and eat a bowl at some point before eight."

"That sounds lovely, thank you," Hermione said, and Verity and Lee were delighted to realise that they were included in that invitation as well.

"See, this is another advantage I can offer," Lee whispered. "I've had a permanent invitation to eat my tea at The Burrow since second year," he told Verity proudly. Fred and George both watched closely. They hadn't yet had a chance to get Lee alone and ask how things had gone the previous evening. Which hadn't stopped them laying bets with each other about whether anything had happened between him and Verity.

"Oh!" explained Molly, clutching her chest, having heard perfectly well what he said. "I've never before had my cooking put forward as a reason to romance someone!" She was clearly thrilled at the idea.

"Well not knowingly," said Hermione, smiling at her mother-in-law. "But don't forget I was eating one of your biscuits when Fred proposed … that may have helped me decide!"

The smile that Fred gave Hermione when he heard that warmed both her own and Molly's hearts.

"So what will you all be doing this afternoon?" she asked her sons.

"More potions," George said, his hand going to his chest. "I am living the dream!"

"We're making huge batches to be bottled tomorrow. In fact," Fred added, "if it's alright with you, Mum, we might start bringing them over. I've already filled the workroom and I'm having to use the hallway to store what we've made now. Can we put them somewhere at home til the morning?"

Molly's heart leapt again to hear him still calling The Burrow home, even though they now lived at the flat.

"Yes, of course," she said. "I've already asked your Dad to put the marquee up … just in case of rain tomorrow," she smiled, "so we'll put them in there and they'll be safe."

Once they had waved farewell to Charlie, Lauren, Molly and Elliot, the five of them worked like demons to get potions and products made and the shop cleaned, rearranged and set up for the flurry of products that were going to be made and brought over the next day. They had already cleared and cleaned the area in which Lauren would create the date baskets display, and Hermione busied herself making finished samples of each kind so that whoever took on that role would have a model to follow. While Fred and George brewed, dancing along to the radio whenever they didn't need to concentrate hard, Verity and Lee began to take things over to The Burrow. The twins looked at each other, each knowing exactly what the other was thinking.

"The suspense is bloody killing me!" said Fred.

"I know," George replied. "But they've been in the same room as each other all day! Haven't had a chance to ask how it went..."

"Your Mum's getting keener to have us stay every time we land with something," Lee shouted through to the back room when he tumbled out of the floo at about six thirty, turning to offer Verity his hand when she arrived, half a minute behind him. "I don't reckon we'll get back without being fed if we do another trip!"

George checked with Fred and Hermione and, together, through their bond, they made a quick decision. "Let's go together, now, then," Fred said and, one by one, they each picked up something else and flooed into the twins' childhood home.

For reasons that she didn't understand, Hermione felt a tug of emotion as she entered the living room and looked out of the window. Although it was still July, the smell of the stew somehow reminded her of winter and she felt a wave of longing for autumn. It had always been her favourite season, perhaps partly because of her September birthday, and partly because it had always heralded a new school year. A fresh start. She loved the colour and the crispness of fallen leaves and she smiled at Fred as she imagined how they would close up the roof garden – unless, of course, they decided to grow vegetables, as Arthur had suggested – and snuggle up together as autumn fell and then turned to winter. She smiled and thanked Molly when she was handed a chipped soup bowl full of stew, and took a spoon as she sat at the kitchen table. Sliding into the seat next to her, Fred caught her eye and smiled.

"You OK love?" he asked, and she nodded in reply.

"I'm good," she assured him. "I like being busy. Happily busy," she clarified, realising that he might be concerned that she was becoming overwhelmed again. "It takes my mind off the bits of my life that aren't yet sorted," and, at that, Fred pulled her gently into his side, sensing her thoughts about her parents through their bond, "and it helps me focus on counting my blessings," she said.

"We'll get them back for you, love," he promised, kissing her temple. "As soon as it's safe. Hopefully by Christmas," he suggested, and Hermione nodded again.

"I hope so," she said. Then she deliberately brightened her smile. "But I know they're OK, and safe, and until Kingsley gives me the word then the logical thing to do is to focus on all the good things in my life, and on you…" She gave him a stew-flavoured kiss, which he smiled into.

"I love you," he whispered, stroking her back with his hand and then leaving his arm around her while they ate.

Molly took the opportunity to quiz Lee and Verity about their thoughts on the marriage situation. George gave Fred a knowing look; maybe Molly could get information where they had failed.

"Kingsley's speech was very … convincing," said Verity, choosing her words carefully. "If a marriage law had been imposed," she mused, "I'd have been in the first wave of protesters. But," she tipped her head from side to side, "I can't really fault the way he's approaching it. I just like people to own their shit," she shrugged, causing Fred and George to glance at each other, wondering whether Molly would react to her language or not. "I can't bear dishonesty and manipulation."

"So you'll be needing a straightforward, honest wizard who says what he thinks and isn't afraid to be open about his feelings, then?" Molly asked, ignoring any language misdemeanours, and Verity replied before she even saw the trap.

"Yes, that's exactly what I need."

Molly winked at Lee. "And you, Lee? What sort of witch are you looking for?"

"One who will hold me to account," he said, looking at Verity. "Who will be there for me but not take any shit … pardon the expression, Molly." Molly nodded and smiled. "I'm lucky," he said, not looking away from Molly. "I knew who I wanted before this became an issue. If I marry the witch I want to, it'll be for love on my part."

Verity suddenly became very interested in her stew, clearly a bit uncomfortable at the level of scrutiny that was being applied to her and Lee's relationship. If you could call it that. She didn't know what you would call it at this point. They had gone out together the previous evening and chatted for hours, more intimately and deeply than ever before. They had discovered that they agreed about the important things, like values and children and money, and had enough differences (the main one being their feelings about quidditch) to make it interesting. When they left the pub, fortified by the alcohol and no doubt also fuelled a bit by the unexpected feelings of jealousy brought on by Luna paying attention to Lee that afternoon, Verity hadn't stopped Lee from taking her hand in his. After a couple of minutes of walking down the road hand in hand, she had pulled him into a shop doorway, pressed him into the wall with her body and snogged the daylights out of him. Lee had moaned in response and slid his hands into her robes, caressing her back and neck while they kissed. It had been a long time coming, and it was just as good as Lee had long thought and hoped it would be and as Verity had – somewhat reluctantly – long suspected it would be.

But when Lee had cradled her neck in one of his hands and tipped her face towards his, inviting her back to his place for a nightcap, she had shaken her head.

"I can't, Lee … not yet," she told him, reaching for his face when she saw the disappointment in her eyes. She gave him another kiss; much softer, and gentler. "I'm getting there, really I am," she promised. "I'm not leading you on, and you have every reason to hope." She looked away. "But I need a bit more time." Taking a deep breath, she looked back into his eyes. "To adjust. Because I've always known that, when we make love, Lee Jordan, it needs to be forever. We both adore the twins and the shop, so there's no room for a break-up in this story. And I'm going to have to drop a few more defences to do forever. Can you give me a bit of time to get my head around all of that?"

Once he had taken all of that in, Lee's reply had been another searing kiss, followed by whispered assurances that he would give her all the time she needed. They both knew that the promise wasn't only his to make. Lee could give her all the time in the world, but the marriage law situation might not allow for that. But they didn't need to face that right away. He had walked her home, holding her hand and chatting softly all the way, and kissed her again when they reached the rickety old townhouse that contained her flat. This time, Verity leaned against the wall of the porchway that led to her house, and Lee pressed himself into her, offering a wordless hint of how he felt about her. Verity's hand trailed down to gently stroke him through his trousers with the backs of her fingers. "I'll not keep you waiting longer than necessary, I promise," she said.

Lee had nodded, smiled and placed a careful kiss on her nose before lifting his wand in readiness to apparate himself home. "Just know that I'm crazy about you and … well, whatever you need, we'll figure it out together, Vee," he had said. Inexplicably, after Verity had turned to unlock the door after he had apparated away, she had discovered that her eyes were full of tears that she had to brush away before she could see to open it and find her way to bed.

Molly was watching Verity closely, wondering what the young blonde witch's own family situation was and making a mental note to ask Fred or George later. Or perhaps Hermione would know. The war had aged the many of the wizarding world's young people way beyond their years, but the look in Verity's eyes seemed more complex than could be explained solely by what had happened in the war. She suspected – and rightly, as she would later discover – that Verity's past had contained some other kind of pain that was making her unsure about commitment. Well, Molly thought, whether or not she was right, there was definitely something that she could do to help Verity feel more secure.

"Are you both coming tomorrow?" she asked, looking to Fred and George as well as Lee and Verity. "For dinner, if not all day," she continued. "It's really the least we can offer after all your support for the shop."

"I'm not sure," Lee said, looking at the twins. "Do you need us? I'm free all day if you want me." He looked at Verity, who nodded.

"I could be free," she said.

"Right then," Molly decided. "Family day for you two as well! It'd probably be useful to have more supervision for those who don't know the products," she said.

Fred and George looked at each other, slightly amazed. When and how had their mother gone from opposing their ideas and confiscating their products to being a staunch supporter of their business?

They were still marvelling at that back in the workshop a few hours later. They had all parted ways after dinner, with Lee and Vee apparating home – separately – and Fred, George and Hermione flooing back to the shop. Fred and Hermione had had a small difference of opinion about whether Hermione should continue working: Fred thought that she should rest, as she had been going since early that morning, while Hermione felt that she should pull her weight. In the end it was George who settled it.

"Dearest wife-in-law," he said, putting his arms around her and preventing her from getting a cauldron down. "I want to make a very large batch of base potion for the glitterbubble products and, to do that, I need the entire bench. So there actually isn't any room for you to work on anything else." Hermione simply stared at him, waiting for him to finish. She was tired and there was a danger, which both he and Fred felt, that she was going to get cross.

"What would be really useful, however," he continued, "is if you would get yourself a bottle of wine, sit up there on the other bench," he indicated to where he meant, "and chat to us while we work. I'd love that; it would help me keep going, as it's likely to be a late one…"

"Alright…" Hermione didn't want a full-blown argument either, and she knew that she was tired. She left the twins setting up cauldrons and went upstairs to fetch wine and glasses. Both Fred and George accepted a glass, but both of them sipped very slowly. They were keen to be sociable but not wanting to lose focus.

Two large glasses in and Hermione was giggling. Fred sneaked upstairs to get another bottle when she nipped to the loo. Another glass and a half later and she was regaling George with tales of their wedding night. Fred couldn't hide the huge grin on his face when an uninhibited Hermione Granger-Weasley told his twin brother that, for several minutes before and after they sealed their sacred marriage bond, Fred could only manage to utter the word, "fuck…" She threw her head back, launching into an impression of his monosyllabic lovemaking that had both of the twins laughing so hard that they had to put their potions under a temporary stasis charm so as not to muck up their brewing.

"Well it's alright for you, Hermione," George had said. "You married a four-letter 'F' word; maybe your posh, long name was too much for his poor, loved-up brain to cope with at that point?!"

"Maybe," slurred Hermione. "I don't care what he calls me. I really, really love him. Freddie," she held her arms out, looking as if she was going to jump off the high bench, and Fred rushed towards her, scared that she would fall onto the floor if she reached further forward for him. "I really, really love you," she said, kissing his neck. "And I love Georgie." She tilted her glass towards him in a toast. "My Georgie; I'm so glad you're in my life."

"Time for bed?" Hermione's Georgie asked.

"I think so," Fred replied, lifting Hermione into his arms and reading himself to carry her up the stairs to their flat. George helpfully cast a featherlight charm on her without her noticing, making Fred's job much easier. He grinned at his brother in thanks. "You OK to finish up here?"

"Absolutely," George said. "This was the trade for my breakfast with Fleur," he reminded his brother, lifting the stasis charm so that he could complete and barrel up another batch of product. "Flick the radio on for me though, would you? Keep me going through the last hour. Night, Miney," he whispered, giving his wife-in-law a kiss on the cheek and smiling as she cradled his face in her hand, patting his cheek in return and telling him she loved him again. "I love you too. So much so that I'll put out some hangover potion and pepper-up for you before I go to bed. Reckon you'll need it in the morning!"


	72. Productivity Sunday

Sunday morning began very differently across the houses of the Weasley family. At The Burrow, it began early and happily. Molly was now more adjusted to the variations in her sleep-wake cycle which had her retiring and rising earlier than she had done for the first few decades of her life. She had risen at four, kissing Arthur soundly on the cheek as she did so. Ten minutes later, she nipped back up to their bedroom to pop a large mug of tea beside him and under a heating charm so that he would see it when he woke. After returning downstairs, she turned on the radio, poured another mug for herself and began to organise her kitchen and the menu for the day.

At the same time, at the flat above Weasley's Wicked Wheezes, George's radio had only been silent for about three hours. He had finally turned in at one, but was so delighted with his evening's productivity that he happily accepted the inevitable consequences. Having seen the state that Hermione was in when Fred carried her up to bed, he had levitated the promised bottles of hangover and pepper-up potion to her bedside, along with a glass of water and, with an extra flourish that he hoped she would enjoy, a couple of her favourite chocolates.

Hermione initially woke at the same time as Molly, her brain still whirring about the activities of the day. She groaned when she realised how rough she felt, but then spotted the remedies that had been laid out for her. "Oh you wonderful, wonderful man," she breathed, kissing Fred repeatedly on the lips as soon as she had downed a dose of each of the potions with a glass of water, pausing to experience the oddly rejuvenating effect of steam flying from her ears. She added more water to the glass from her wand in an effort to curb the dehydrating effect of the wine. Then, she popped a chocolate into her mouth, choosing to ignore the fact that either Graham or his yet-to-be-named girlfriend had nibbled a corner off in the night, and sighed at the extra healing effect of the mild caffeine and sugar hit.

"Not me," he said, still mostly asleep himself, "though I'll gladly keep taking Georgie's kisses if you want to keep giving me them…"

Hermione laughed softly. Then she cast a charm over the bedsheets to make them cool again and snuggled back down in Fred's arms to sleep for another couple of hours.

They awoke again together at six, agreed that an early start was in order and took a bath together. Deciding that division of labour was the way to go, Fred went down to check on the barrels of potion that George had finished, so that Hermione could update her list. Hermione set to work making bacon sandwiches for the second day in a row. She put the coffee pot on for George, made tea for herself and Fred and then, when Fred returned, settled down beside him to update her plan while they both munched away.

"You know Mum'll have a full English breakfast waiting when we get there as well," he pointed out in between bites.

"I know," Hermione said through her own mouthful of sandwich. "But I need to soak up the alcohol before I apparate!"

"Fair enough!" he laughed, checking that the coffee was ready and pouring a cup before he went to awaken his brother with coffee and bacon sandwiches in bed.

The occupants of Shell Cottage woke and, as they did most mornings these days, turned to each other and made love. Not wanting to miss any opportunity to create the second Weasley grandchild, Fleur and Bill were enjoying each other with the frequency of newlyweds. The full moon had been about ten days before, and Bill's ardour tended to be at its peak then, but Fleur relished the way his tastes for different kinds of lovemaking changed across the lunar cycle. When the moon was close to becoming new, as was the case this weekend, his movements were slow and languorous and his words were caring and soft.

Charlie would have liked to have whispered more soft words into Lauren's ear at their cottage, but he was currently being prevented from doing so by his son, who had entered their bedroom unannounced and had begun to spoon his dad just as his dad had been spooning his mum. Elliot had picked up that Charlie liked to whisper into Lauren's ear while they were cuddling, and so had decided to whisper into his dad's ear in turn.

"Daddy," he said, directly into Charlie's ear and in a whisper that was actually rather louder than Charlie might have liked. He wondered if Lauren would have a problem with him casting a noise dampening charm. "I need to pee!"

"Can you take yourself?" Charlie asked, but he was applying a kiss to Lauren's shoulder even as he spoke. He knew perfectly well that, although Elliot could manage to go by himself if he sat down, he loved to emulate Charlie and the twins, who were helping him to learn to go while standing. What Charlie had also forgotten, in his sleepiness, was that Elliot wanted a witness so that he could earn one of the dragon stickers that Lauren had got him as a reward for successful toilet trips. "When will the stickers run out?" he asked Lauren quietly as he slipped out of bed.

"I should perhaps have got a smaller pack," Lauren confessed. "But they only came in sheets of a hundred!"

"Well at least he'll be fully proficient by the time we've handed them all over," he told her with a kiss.

Charlie was still chuckling as he followed Elliot to the bathroom. Charlie helped his little boy go about his business and then wash his hands before dispensing a brontosaurus, which Elliot added to his book. Next, they headed to the kitchen. In the short time they had lived together, the two of them had already come to treasure their early morning kitchen time, when Charlie would get Elliot his breakfast and they would make Lauren something together, allowing her some extra time in bed. She wasn't a late riser by any means, but Charlie had risen with the light since moving to the dragon reserve years before, and he figured that, after raising Elliot alone for more than two years, Lauren deserved a good few cups of tea brought to her in bed.

Percy and Penelope were also tea drinkers, and they enjoyed their morning brew in the living room of Percy's flat, which overlooked central London. Unlike some of his siblings, and somewhat unexpectedly given his more introverted nature, Percy loved to be living in the middle of things. He could see the tips and edges of some of the most important buildings in and around Whitehall and it gave him great joy to know that the Ministry of Magic was buried deep underneath them, hidden from muggle view.

He reached out his arm and cuddled Penelope to his side as she came to stand next to him, in front of their large picture window. They had chatted about their own wedding plans again last night, with Penelope agreeing that she was happy to marry in whatever timeframe Percy considered best in relation to Kingsley's plan and the advancement of his own career. She was by no means going to relinquish any of her own desires, but three things had become clear to her within weeks of agreeing to date the rather formal redheaded man. First, that his determination and strategic thinking were going to ensure his success. Second, that his heart and soul yearned for the same things as her own, both in relation to work and home. And last but most importantly of all, Penelope saw that he needed and wanted a wise and capable witch by his side just as much as she had always wanted that sort of wizard in her own life.

In many ways, they were cut from similar cloth and yet their personalities also complemented each other. Penny was just as able to strategise as Percy was, and Percy enjoyed that very much. If he was occasionally a bit over the top in his ambition and pompousness, she would quietly refocus him and remind him of the importance of relationships. And if Penelope was in danger of losing sight of her own desires, Percy would gently point her in another direction. Often, it was towards his sister or one of his sisters-in-law, who all had far greater tendencies towards independence than Penelope herself possessed. They took turns in the shower before dressing, both deciding to forgo breakfast in the knowledge that they would be offered more food than they could eat within minutes of their arrival at The Burrow.

At Grimmauld Place, Harry and Ginny had risen together and were deciding between having toast or cereal when Ron had appeared fully dressed, reminding them in no uncertain terms that Molly had promised breakfast. Shaking his head at their lack of focus on this matter, he quickly left and was, unsurprisingly, the first of the Weasley brood to join Arthur at The Burrow's kitchen table. Harry and Ginny took the opportunity to run back to their bedroom and grab a quickie before they left, knowing that Ron would be so fully occupied with eating that he wouldn't even notice if they closed the floo for twenty minutes and got down to it on the living room sofa.

By nine o'clock, almost everyone had gathered around the dining table and eaten, including Luna, Lee and Verity. Hermione had also joined the group, leaving the twins to finish the movement of products. Comfortably full of bacon, eggs, sausages, beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, black pudding, toast and marmalade, Molly was charming the teapot to pour out another round when Fred and George came in, announcing that all of the potions and necessary supplies were now at The Burrow. Clapping in delight, Molly stood and waved her wand to bring two enormous and almost identical plates of breakfast to land in front of them.

"No beans?" Ron looked at Fred in astonishment, noticing that this was the one thing that was on George's plate that wasn't on Fred's.

"Sadly, no," Fred said, laughing as he began to cut up his sausage. "It's the price of love, I've learned. My wife won't kiss me for an hour after I've eaten them," he shook his head, "and I have come to realise that I love her affection more than I love my beans!" He turned to Hermione who slid her hand around his face and into his hair, pulling him towards her and giving him a sound kiss on the mouth in reward for this noble sacrifice.

While Fred and George ate, Hermione began explaining to everyone what they needed and, as she did, people began to express their different interests and volunteer for roles. Charlie and Lauren were leading the 'date in a basket' project, and Percy and Penelope immediately offered to help with that. Fleur, Luna and Ginny volunteered to begin by bottling up and packaging the barrels of glitterbubble products that Fred and George had made and, as they were among that particular range's biggest fans, that seemed eminently sensible to Hermione.

Next, Ron, Harry, Arthur and Bill positioned themselves as 'the workers', announcing that they didn't really mind what they did. So, when they all went outside to begin, Hermione placed them on stools along one side of a long table which she then turned into a production line for sorting, bottling, labelling and packaging all manner of products over the course of the day. It was a stroke of genius, for the four of them had a wonderful time chatting and catching up. They swapped places every few minutes, summoned Fred or George each time they were nearing the end of a line and needed a new job and generally got things done.

Lee and Verity were the runners. As soon as something was ready, they would collect the box in their arms and apparate it to the store where they would unload it directly onto the shelves and then stack any spare product in the stock room. This proved to be an excellent decision as far as the twins were concerned, for it meant that they could pull Lee aside and find out how things had gone on the Friday evening. Even when they heard his version of events, however, they still weren't quite sure what it all meant. Lee confessed that he wasn't either, and so Hermione was called in to help.

"I really do think she wants to be with you, Lee," she reassured him. "She just needs a bit more time to adjust to the thought. The Ministry stuff is making people move faster than they might have wanted to…"

"Is this Ms Verity we're talking about?" Bill asked, coming up behind them to drop off a newly packaged box of daydream charms. Not wanting to share the secret to that magic, Fred had made a load but not put them into their wrappers and ribbons. "'Cause if so, I'd say she's well into you."

"You think?" Lee asked, and Bill nodded.

"Definitely. She watches you when you're not looking," he said, as if that explained everything.

"She says she needs time to get her head around it. Around forever," Lee explained, his voice trailing off a bit. He didn't want to betray Verity's confidence by telling everyone what she had said, but he did need to talk to his friends about it. And he figured that he could trust Hermione and Bill in the same way he trusted George and Fred.

"Then give her time, mate," Bill advised. "But you could ask her if you can take her out as a friend while she's thinking about it. Let her see that you're not going to push her; that you care about what she wants."

Lee smiled. "That's pretty much what Hermione said!"

"Well," Bill clapped the younger wizard on the back, "it must be the right thing to do then. Now," he nodded his chin westward to alert them to the fact that Verity had just returned. "Your production line needs another job, or should we stop for tea and cake?"

While the four of them took a break, George caught up with their achievements so far. He had remained on inventory duty and the entire family knew that everything needed to be checked in and out by him as well as Hermione, who was in charge of ensuring that all of the needed products on her list were made, packaged and shelved by the end of the day. Fred did everything else, which ranged from offering individual help to those who needed to learn a spell or had a question to being everybody's porter and helping Lee and Verity to take things to the shop as needed.

After a couple of trips, however, Charlie intervened. He showed the twins how, if they simply used a pallet and some netting – both of which he easily transfigured from a fallen branch and an old handkerchief of Molly's – they could carry more each time. George declared it a genius idea, while Charlie shrugged modestly and said that it was simply the easiest way of transporting large amounts of stock by apparition. "Dragon healing supplies take up a lot of room," he laughed. "Small tubes of ointment aren't much good to us!"

Lauren felt so excited when she heard this, and Molly almost laughed out loud to see her delight. The young muggle woman still couldn't believe that, that very evening, she was going to touch a piece of rubbish, be magically transported to Romania and spend the night in a romantic wooden cabin from which she would be able to see dragons flying through the sky. There were mornings on which she still awoke to find herself wondering if the past couple of weeks had all been an elaborate dream. And then she would feel the very solid body of Charlie Weasley pressed up against her soft curves and know that it wasn't; that she really had been reunited with him, only to discover that he lived in a secret world of magic to which she was now invited. Yes, she was still uncertain about some things, adjusting to others and unsure about why their son seemed to have access to knowledge and wisdom beyond his years, but she trusted that she would learn what she needed to once Molly had talked with Minerva. And, she thought, as she watched Elliot scampering along beside Molly, who was bringing another round of drinks and cake into the garden lest anyone have a small hole to fill, he was happier than he ever had been, with a huge new family to get to know.

After lunch – which was a noisy affair held outside – George took the pallet of finished date basket products over to the shop, while Charlie and Lauren flooed there together with a large bag that she had brought from home. Fleur and Penelope moved on to bottling other kinds of potions, while Ginny and Luna went to see Hermione to find out what looked interesting on her list of the tasks that remained.

"Fireworks!" exclaimed Luna, pointing to an item about halfway down. "Can we do fireworks?"

"I don't see why not," Hermione replied with a smile, "though we'll have to find Fred or George to teach you. Not a skill I've developed yet," she said, with a twitch of her eyebrows.

The younger witches laughed. "We'll sit and wait for Georgie then," Ginny declared, seeing that Fred was busy showing Bill and Arthur a complex incantation. She pulled Hermione down on the grass to join her. "Have a few minutes rest, 'Mione," she said. "You've earned that!"

Molly took the opportunity to bring the three young women tea and cake, which they all struggled to fit in. "I expect Fred and Harry and Ron will help," Luna said, when they each left half of the slice on the plate.

"Talking of which," Hermione said to Luna, "what's the story there, if I might ask?"

Luna sighed. "I only wish I knew. You know the saying 'blowing hot and cold'?"

Ginny and Hermione nodded.

"Well kind of like that," Luna continued, "except I think the issue is readiness rather than interest. But maybe it's interest too. When he's with me and there's nothing else to do, it's lovely, but he's really more focused on being an auror and spending time with Harry. And who can blame him after what they've been through." She looked off into the distance.

"You're being very patient," Ginny remarked. "If it was Harry, I'd have grabbed him and snogged his face off before telling him he needed to get his act together!"

"What's the point? He's not ready," said Luna, sounding as laid back about things as ever. "He will be one day, but not yet. We're kissing for fun, not for forever." She shrugged. "And I'm OK with that. I don't know what I want either; not exactly. And even when I do, if it's Ron then I'll probably have to take the lead, but the time isn't right for that."

Before Hermione could turn her swirling thoughts into a coherent reply, her mirrorphone rang and Lauren's face appeared, inviting her to come over and see whether she was happy with what she and Charlie had done in the shop. George had come back, with an enormous grin on his face, and came straight over to add his own recommendation that Hermione should 'get over there to see their brainchild displayed' before cheerfully agreeing to give Luna and Ginny a firework-packaging tutorial.

When she arrived at the store, Hermione gasped in delight. Lauren had done a wonderful job of the date in a basket display. She had brought two of her own quilts from the cottage, which featured hearts and flowers, and hung them from the wooden stand that Charlie had transfigured. The finished baskets were arranged in sections and the display was decorated with flowers – again, courtesy of Charlie's wand – and tiny blackboards giving information about the different options, along with words of encouragement and hope that the users had lovely dates.

"This is beautiful," Hermione told her friend, and Fred was just as effusive in his praise and thanks. "I could never have done this," Hermione said.

"I'm sure you could," Lauren shrugged, "it's just that you were needed elsewhere."

"Actually," Hermione replied, a more serious look than usual on her face, "I really couldn't. I know my limits. I love cross stitch, because it comes with mathematical directions, but I'm not really creative in the way that you or Fleur or Penelope are." She smiled. "But I'm OK with the fact that I'm the family list manager!"

They all stood for a moment and looked around the shop, in awe of how much had already been achieved. Thanks to the multiple teams who had been hard at work, and to Verity and Lee taking things over as they were ready, the shop was starting to look full again. There were still gaps, but even as they chatted, Lee apparated in again with another pallet and began to stack products, filling another set of shelves.

"I think we're going to do it," Hermione said, turning to Fred.

"I think you're right," he replied, taking her into his arms and sliding his hand into her hair so that he could gently tip her head back and kiss her.

"Do you need one of my chocolates?" asked Lauren, teasingly. Clearly someone had told her the story of their bond and how Fred and Hermione became particularly amorous at certain times.

"We're hardly hungry," Fred laughed. "Have you seen how much cake Mum has been passing out?"

"We just like to be together," Hermione said, not taking her eyes off Fred's.

"I get that," said Lauren, looking up at Charlie as she took her hand in his. "We're the same. I'm so grateful for all the sleepovers you're all giving us!"

"Well we've got a few days now, sweets," Charlie told her pulling her closer to his body. "Just you and me…"

"When do you leave?" Fred asked.

"Portkey at six," Charlie said. "That'll get us there at eight. Mum said she'll do early dinner and Bill's hoping we can do George's spell before then too. I'd like to be there for that."

Fred nodded. Bill had used his time on the production line to spread the word of the ward spell that he wanted to do for George, and Fleur had done the same over her side of the garden. Once he had enlisted Molly's help to talk to people during her tea rounds, Bill was satisfied that everyone would know. "We'll stop at five, no matter what," he said. "Only fair."

"Alright," said Charlie. "We brought all our stuff over this morning anyway, so we don't need to go back to the cottage. Shall we head back home?"

Just as Molly had done a few days prior when she heard Fred using the term, Lauren smiled to herself and caught Hermione's eye when she heard Charlie still describing The Burrow as 'home'. Her face became soft as she took his hand and hoped that she and Charlie could create a home together, wherever that might be, which their own children might feel the same way about.

They had actually finished by quarter to five, mainly due to Hermione's efforts at keeping the list up-to-date, which mean nobody's time was wasted. It didn't hurt when Lee began to commentate on how close they were each time he returned to The Burrow. Over the course of the day, the rate of production had increased to the point where Verity needed to stay full-time in the shop in order to unload the pallets that Lee was dropping off every few minutes. Fred and George had exchanged several looks; this was definitely something worth doing again, if the others were up for it. It had saved them days of time.

And the rest of the Weasley family did seem to have had fun. As each of the teams finished their tasks and packed up any remaining supplies for George to take back to the workroom, they began to gather on the sofas that were circled around the firepit and chatter about their upcoming weeks. Fred used a sonorous charm to announce that, as a token of their gratitude, they wanted everyone to visit the shop next week and pick a gift for themselves. Then, with a smile, he announced that he and George were hosting another pizza night that Friday, given the success of the first one. "It won't be happening every week," he informed them. "But we want to say thank you and, while the weather's good, we might as well enjoy the roof!"

Bill took the opportunity to get everything ready for the ward charm he wanted to do for George and, by the time the twins had seen that everything was in order, waved off Lee and Verity and thanked everyone, his scene was set. He had moved one of the sofas a little distance away, and a quiet word in Lauren's ear had established that she was more than happy to sit on it with George while the spell was woven.

Lauren plonked herself down on it, tucking her feet under her in her usual style. "If it feels anything like the one you did for me, I'll happily be at the centre of that kind of magic anytime!"

Bill chuckled. "Well we're aiming it at George, love, but you're likely to feel some of the residual effects. We don't want him to be in the middle by himself, but it feels best that it isn't Fred in there next to him. We're trying to get his body and his magic to focus on the other people who love him."

Once Bill gave the signal and George had plonked himself beside Lauren, accepting the hand she offered him to hold, the Weasley family and the partners and friends who were present created a circle around their sofa. They did so with little fuss. There was a general sense that George, ebullient as he was in conjunction with Fred, might not want too much attention drawn to his situation. But Bill still needed – or perhaps wanted – to say a few words.

"Alright. We all know that, like many of us, George has been left with some war wounds that aren't physical," he said. Lauren wrapped both of her hands around the one of his that she was holding and squeezed them with a gentle pressure that only he could sense. "What happened with Fred affected him more because of their twin bond, and so we're coming together to create a spell which will wrap George's magical core in a blanket of our wider family love and protection while he continues to heal. Are you two ready?"

"Yes," said George and Lauren, and then they grinned at each other at having spoken at the same time. Lauren wriggled slightly, as if she was basking in the sun, and leaned her head on his shoulder. George wrapped his free arm around her and smiled.

"We're ready," Lauren said. "Bring on the love magic, please!"

George's laugh was loud as Bill began the incantation. The Weasleys began, as they had before, by holding hands in a circle but this spell differed from the ward spell. Bill was leading the magic and, as he did so, the family members took turns stepping out of the circle and going to George to give him a hug and whisper a few words into his ear. As each one returned to their spot, the next person along would leave. It created an interesting wave effect and Lauren was sure she could feel it, although her academic brain forced her to acknowledge that it may just be her imagination.

Upon reaching George, most of his family told them they loved him, and breathed words of reassurance. A few of the people he knew less well were more reticent, but still offered sentiments of deep friendship and hope. Several of them made personal references to pleasures that they shared with George. Charlie reminded him that they were the two who most loved coffee, and Fleur promised him many more crepes, with or without information to trade. Bill had strapped Elliot to his back for the ritual and, when it was finally his turn to connect with his brother, he leaned down so that Lauren could fish Elliot out of the sling and let him give George a hug too. Bill caught Lauren's eye and wordlessly asked her if she wanted to say anything. She nodded, gathering the now slightly drunk-looking George into her arms.

"I think you're fab, George Weasley," she whispered into his good ear. "I'm so happy you've become my little brother," she smiled, "and I can't wait for our chick flick and ice cream dates to begin." Like the others, she wanted to remind him how full his life was, even beyond his relationship with Fred.

It was clear that, whether because of the pull of magic or for some other reason, Elliot didn't want to go back into the circle with Bill, so the older wizard smiled and left Elliot on George's lap. As Bill brought the magic to a climax and then ended the spell, a few moments of relative silence fell over the garden, broken only by the birdsong that was an ever-present feature of Molly and Arthur's garden. Quietly, the family moved away, in ones and twos, and headed for the buffet table that Molly had set up. Hoping that there might be sausages, Elliot jumped off George's lap and scampered towards the food table to investigate further. He headed straight for Fleur and held his arms out to her, ready to be lifted up.

Unusually, George didn't make any movement towards showing an interest in the food, except to do a little wriggling so that he was snuggled into Lauren more. She looked up, searching for Charlie; knowing that they were a bit pressed for time and needed to eat before leaving. Charlie saw her predicament and headed over towards their sofa.

"Is it OK if I take Lauren now, mate?" he said, in a low voice. He wasn't quite sure what effect the spell had had on his little brother. George seemed happy enough; he had a smile and his pupils were dilated.

"Need a cuddle though," he told Charlie, his words slightly slurred. "Can you get Mum?"

Charlie managed not to laugh at that. Instead, he bowed his head slightly and then stood up, looking around for Molly. She was going to love this, and he chuckled to himself as he headed towards her and explained George's request.

"Oh!" Molly's exclamation of delight could be heard across the garden as she thrust the plate she was carrying at Charlie and headed straight back to the sofa on which Lauren and George still sat. Lauren smiled to see her arriving and tried to sit George up a bit more.

"Hey, lovely, your mum's here." She gave him a kiss on the cheek, just as she did with Elliot when he was sleepy. "Let me just slide out and she can give you a cuddle…"

George did as he was asked and soon he was in Molly's arms, his mum clearly overjoyed at this show of affection. They sat there for an hour, chatting softly together. Slowly, he began to sit up a bit more, and Molly called to Penelope, asking if she could get a bowl of soup brought to him.

Rather than leaving George and Molly out on a limb, the others had levitated their sofa to become part of the campfire circle again, and Arthur lit a small fire, just for cosiness. It was another warm night, and they were all tired. Slowly, the Weasleys began to take their leave. Charlie and Lauren gathered their luggage and went to say their goodbyes to Elliot.

"I'm good!" he told them, from Molly's lap. She had him on one knee, biscuit in hand, and George was still snuggled into her other side. Molly looked as if she was in maternal heaven. "Forgie's sleeping over with me!" Elliot announced.

Charlie looked at Molly, his eyebrows raised. "He's asked to stay the night," she said, stroking George's hair. "Angelina's out with the girls, I think. We'll put Elliot in Fred's old bed and they can have a sleepover together."

Hermione and Fred were on the next sofa, wanting to be nearby in case George needed them. "I think he's OK," said Fred. "And it seems to have made him much less anxious, which is great. I think we could go home if you wanted to?"

A suggestive look crossed her face as she remembered the silky, sexy underwear that she had bought as a treat for Fred. "Let's do that," she said. "I've got something nice for you. It's your turn to get a treat," she promised, giving him a wink which told him in no uncertain terms that their busy day was going to be followed by a very satisfying night.


	73. The return to Romania

"You would think," said Lauren, a bit more crossly than she had intended, "that the great minds of the wizarding world could come together and find a mode of transportation which had the advantage of speed but without making one feel like a dog's dinner upon arrival. Or," she swayed a little, not wanting to leave the comfort and sense of balance that she felt in Charlie's arms just yet, "at least a potion that one could take upon landing which could take this away."

"You're absolutely right," a deep voice behind her said, and she jumped. "Take this," it continued, handing both her and Charlie a small vial of a clear liquid. Following Charlie's example, she quickly tipped it down her throat. "And now this," the man said, handing over two open glass bottles whose labels were written in a foreign language but which were, when Lauren finished taking a long drink of hers and looked at it, clearly the Romanian version of a popular kind of lemonade. She remembered having these with Charlie one evening at her hotel.

"Oh," she said, spreading her fingers across her chest as she tried to surreptitiously release a burp, "that does feel better. Thank you."

"Pleasure, ma'am," the man smiled, extending his hand to shake hers. "Henry Martin, reserve chief, at your service. And before you ask for the recipe for the first potion, it's just the dodgy local spirit. No cauldron needed," he smiled at the muggle woman.

"Lauren Bennett," she said, shaking his hand and giving him a smile of her own before turning back to Charlie. "I think Hermione was right. This is worse than apparition. Although." she eyed the empty vial that Henry had given her the rum in and smiling again at the older man, "This works, so I'll be needing to find myself a hip flask before we leave. Do you have a hip flask gift shop on your dragon reserve?" she teased Henry, knowing full well that they didn't even have brick housing. Charlie had made sure she was aware of the state of the facilities before they left, not wanting her to be met with any unexpected surprises.

Charlie chuckled. His sisters-in-law had enjoyed a lively conversation that afternoon, about whether Lauren would find portkeying more or less troublesome than apparition as a form of travel. Fleur was convinced that Lauren would prefer it. Hermione had her doubts. Charlie had privately figured that Fleur was likely just more used to the sensation because of regularly travelling between England and France, while Hermione had less experience of portkeys. Lauren kept reminding herself during the chat that the sicky feeling and the few minutes of recovery time was far less hassle than the hours of faffing through an airport and being compressed between possibly smelly strangers on a plane, but she was nonetheless delighted to know that there was a remedy that helped.

"I'll transfigure you one personally," Henry smiled, shaking Charlie's hand as well, once Lauren had felt secure enough on her feet to let go of him.

"Well aren't you fast becoming my new best friend," Lauren teased the older man, who offered his arm.

"That's my plan," he told her. "I know this one's going to try and leave us now he's found you and his long-lost boy," he eyed Charlie, who opened his mouth but without really knowing what to say. He couldn't deny that, and he had too much respect for Henry to muck him about. "Not tonight, Charlie," Henry said, patting Charlie on the back in reassurance. "There's plenty of time, and I completely understand. I'm hoping we can offer something that will suit everyone, but you've given us great service and, if you leave tomorrow, I'll only be grateful that we've had you working with us for all this time. As long as you come back for the pre-Christmas party every year!"

Charlie felt a bit choked up at that. He had been feeling worried all week about how his news would go down with Henry, whom he respected greatly.

"Home," said Henry, leading the way out of the cabin that they had apparated into, and patting Charlie on the shoulder. "Oh, wait!" he said, as if he had just remembered something. Turning to Lauren, he showed her his wand. "I can cast a spell which will give you the run of our wards and enable you to see things that non-magical people usually can't. It doesn't hurt. Would you like me to do that?"

"Oh, yes please," Lauren replied, making Henry and Charlie laugh as she stood up straight, tipped her chin up, held her arms out to either side of her and closed her eyes, ready for Henry's spell.

"Fleur and Bill," Charlie told Henry, by means of explanation. "They brought Lauren into The Burrow's wards a few days ago and Lauren likes ward welcoming spells now."

"Too bloody right I do," she told him, maintaining her position but opening one eye to look at Henry before closing it and tipping her head back again, "they're bloody gorgeous."

"Oh, you'll fit in nicely here, with a mouth like that," Henry teased her, gently resting his wand on the crown of her head and muttering the incantation that gave her both the protection of the reserve's wards and the ability to see the creatures they cared for. "All done," he declared, making Lauren feel slightly disappointed that she had only felt a trickling sensation and not the rush that being brought into the protection of The Burrow's wards had given her. She thanked him nonetheless.

"You're welcome," he told her. "I'm glad you're here and I'll see you both in the morning," Henry turned to Charlie. "Meg has put a few things in your fridge, for breakfast, and in case you need any supper. She said the least she could do was save you having to traipse to the canteen and be under the spotlight on your first night or morning here," he raised his eyebrows, and Charlie smiled.

"Tell her I am eternally grateful," he said. He had explained to Lauren that, although he had a kitchen in his cabin, the reserve staff and their guests were entitled to eat in the canteen anytime they wanted, at hugely subsidised rates. With the food being tasty, plentiful and cheap, they all tended to congregate there. It was fun, and noisy, but perhaps not what they two of them needed after an already full day with the Weasleys.

And they were both feeling a bit emotional. They talked very little as they walked hand-in-hand the few hundred yards to Charlie's cabin. Lauren gazed in wonder at the darkening sky and the myriad stars; waves of unnameable emotion crashing over her as, for the first time in three years, she looked at the dark shapes of the mountains in which she and Charlie had lain together and unknowingly made their son. Charlie could think only of how much had happened and changed in his life since he had trodden this same path in reverse just nine days prior. That was when he had portkeyed to The Ministry of Magic before making his way to The Leaky Cauldron and then the flat about his brothers' shop. Since then, he had been reunited with the love of his life, discovered that he had a son and spent a blissful week or so with both of them.

They squeezed each other's hands, their faces turning to each other with a smile, and then Charlie looped his arm around Lauren, pulling her close to him. "Nearly there, love," he said. A roar in the distance made Lauren jump, and Charlie's smile morphed into a chuckle. "Welcome to dragon country, sweets. But," he assured her as he turned her up the dirt path that led to the door of his cabin, "you're completely safe here."

Lauren wasn't surprised that the cabin door wasn't locked; she knew the reserve was impenetrable from the outside and was like a small village in which everyone knew each other. She was, however, delighted to find that Meg, Henry's wife, had not only left food in the fridge as advertised, but had lit a few candles and, she gathered from Charlie's comment when he led her to his bedroom on her quick tour of the small cabin, made the bed.

"Bless her," he said. "She never had kids of her own, Meg, though I don't like to ask why. But she's like another mother to all of us, and we love her for it."

"This is very cosy, Charlie," Lauren said, looking around at what had been his home for several years. The walls were a light-coloured wood and, unlike in her cottage, mostly free of ornament. The large bed was covered with a patchwork quilt, which she would later discover was of Molly's making, but Charlie led her away from the bedroom once they had deposited and re-enlarged their luggage, and back into the kitchen.

"Bathroom's there," he indicated as they passed a closed door, and Lauren noticed another couple of doors which she supposed led to cupboards or a storage area. "One's a spare room," he said as they walked back into the kitchen, having completed their circuit of the small cabin in less than half a minute, "though it's rarely used, and the other," he raised his eyebrows, "well that's my favourite door, and I'll show you in a bit…"

Lauren was intrigued, but she had to wait because Charlie was currently more interested in a bottle of wine that had been left on the table. A tag was tied around its neck and he lifted it, chuckling when he read the note. "Congratulations on the birth of your son," he laughed for several seconds. "Well cheers, Piotr," he declared, reaching for a couple of glasses before he told Lauren more about his best friend, who lived in the next cabin along.

"Don't you want to see him tonight?" she asked.

"Oh, I'm sure we will," he said, "but first, I want to show you my favourite room." Picking up the wine bottle and both glasses with one hand, he led Lauren to the door that they had previously passed. "You first, love," he said, reaching to open the door, and smiled with excitement when he heard Lauren gasp at the sight that awaited her.

Charlie's cabin, like all of the others at the reserve, was built on the edge of a mountain, and had a roofed deck – or balcony; Lauren wasn't really sure what it would be called – which extended from the back. It gave the most incredible view over the mountains. The panorama was even more picturesque than the view from the hotel that she had stayed in and, better still, Henry's spell and whatever magic they did or didn't use here or elsewhere meant that she could see the shadows of dragons flying in the distance, returning to their nests as the darkness drew in.

"Oh Gods," she said, swaying a little and grasping the wooden rail that ran along the front of the balcony for support. "Are those…" she trailed off, lost for words.

Charlie came up behind her, sliding his arms around her waist and kissing her neck. "They are. You like it, love?"

"Oh Gods," she said again, turning her head to face him. "How can you possibly want to leave here and come back to the UK? It's beautiful! There are dragons! And the smell…" She inhaled deeply as she turned back towards the view, remembering an echo of the same forest smell from her hotel balcony, across the other side of the valley, where she and Charlie had slept outside on occasion. But here, the smell was thicker; closer; stronger.

Charlie didn't get a chance to answer though. Their moment was disturbed by an excited yelp from the next balcony. "You're back!" an accented voice called out. "Can I come and meet her?"

"If you must," Charlie called back with a laugh, adding, "Piotr," by way of explanation. "Young, Polish, excitable…"

"Dashing and handsome," finished a young blonde man, as he used some kind of spell to help him safely jump across the short distance between his own balcony and Charlie's. Taking Lauren's hand, he turned it and kissed it.

"Hello," she said, raising her wine glass. "It's you I need to thank for this?"

"It is," he said, producing another bottle from his pocket and pointing his wand towards Charlie's kitchen. "Accio wine glass," he said.

"Make yourself at home, mate," Charlie said to the younger wizard, giving him a friendly hug before Piotr sat himself in a wooden chair. "You usually do!"

Piotr grinned cheekily, reminding Lauren a little of Fred as he poured himself a glass and then topped up both of theirs. "Noroc!" he said. "Twoje zdrowie! Cheers!"

"All of the above," said Charlie, offering Lauren the seat with the best view of the mountains before taking another for himself. "Have I missed much?"

"Not at all," Piotr replied. "You're the main gossip," he added slyly. "Do you have a photo of him?" he asked eagerly. "Thought you might send one with Elena but, oh no, never mind me and my social standing!"

Charlie gave a hearty laugh and turned to Lauren while he searched his pocket for a picture of Elliot. "It's a tiny village," he said, by way of explanation. "They have nothing better to do than gossip about those who have more exciting lives!"

"Oh the poor little bugger," said Piotr, staring at the photo. "He looks just like you, Charlie!"

Lauren laughed, enjoying the banter between Charlie and his friend. And feeling impossibly relaxed and excited at the same time.

"Are you coming to sit with us, love?" Charlie asked, as he took a chair next to Piotr. Lauren had only stayed in her chair for a few seconds before she had taken her wine back to the balcony rail, over which she was currently leaning.

"There. Are. Fucking. Dragons," she said slowly, shaking her head at Charlie. "Of course I'm not going to bloody sit down." She waved her hand at the sky. "Dragons, Charlie … dragons!"

"I love her," Piotr said to Charlie. "Do you have a sister, Lauren?"

"I do," Lauren said, without turning around. "But she's married, in Australia and much less badly behaved than I…"

"Damn!" said Piotr.

"You should talk to Charlie's brothers if you're looking for a witch, though," she called back to the blonde wizard. "They're very into matchmaking at the moment…"

It was only when the dragons had all nested for the night that Lauren agreed to return to sit with the men, but she was glad that Charlie and Piotr were able to catch each other up on their news. So much had happened, for both of them, and it was good to be able to process it by talking with old friends.

"Alright, love," Charlie said to Lauren, as they finished the last of the wine and bid Piotr a good night as he jumped onto the balcony rail and again cast a spell to take him the short hop home. "You want to sleep inside, or out here?"

"Is it safe out here?"

"Of course," he replied.

"And I'll see dragons flying when I wake?"

"Absolutely. They'll be up before you are, my sleepy love."

"Then out here, please." Lauren couldn't really believe he had needed to ask.

Charlie bowed and raised his wand. Within a few minutes, he had the mattress on the balcony and their bed made up. Lauren made quick work of running inside to brush her teeth and, when she returned, slipped in between the sheets as Charlie was doing more wand work.

"I'm just keeping us private, love," he said. "No-one can see or hear us now," he promised. Raising his voice in the direction of Piotr's cabin, he said, "can you, you nosey git?"

There was no reply. Charlie put his wand on the decking and then climbed into his side of the bed.

"You like it?" he asked Lauren, somewhat redundantly.

"It's amazing," she said. "Like another page out of a fairytale." She was so tired after her day of product making, portkey travel and seeing Charlie's life on the reserve that she fell asleep before she could even kiss Charlie goodnight. He leaned over, doing it for her, and made sure the covers were nestled around her before he reached out to hold her and fell asleep himself.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Charlie had always been a morning person and was used to having the first hour or two of the day to himself. The next morning, though, Lauren awoke almost as soon as he did, and was just as excited at the view.

"Can we stay here forever?" she asked, as he emerged from the cabin with two cups of tea for them to enjoy in bed. "I don't think I'd ever grow tired of this!"

Charlie chuckled. "It's July though, love. You're here in the middle of the short time in which there's nice weather. Come the winter, it's brassic!"

"Oh…" Lauren hadn't thought of that but, now that Charlie had reminded her, she dredged up a vague memory of stories of the cold from a conversation she had had with a friendly young barman called Andrei during her holiday. "Do you think Henry would give you a summer job then?" she asked.

Charlie raised his eyebrows. "Honestly? He probably would," he said. "I know from what he said last night that he doesn't want to lose me. Part of why I wanted to bring you here for a few days was so you could see it … see if you might like to live here part of the time. I'd insist on a job out of the field, of course," he said. "I'm not taking any risks now I have you and Elliot," he reassured her, "but Henry needs experienced staff in supervisory roles as well and there's plenty for me to do with the babies and the sick dragons that wouldn't put me in danger…"

Lauren had only really heard one word in that sentence. "Babies?" she breathed. "There are dragon babies?"

"There are," Charlie smiled, "and after we've showered, had a nice breakfast in the canteen and chatted with Henry, we're going to see them this morning. That's where I'm rostered to work, and Henry says you can help."

He had never seen Lauren get out of bed and into the shower so quickly.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"I'll be brief," said Henry, "because you must be desperate to show Lauren the reserve, and there's only one mother in and she's doing well and needing no interference from us, so you can slack off after that with my blessing." Before Charlie could protest, Henry held his hand up. "Charlie," he said, "you've never had a sick day in all the years you've been here. You deserve it. Now," he said, putting his hands on his desk. "Talk to me. What are you thinking in terms of your future?"

"I want to return to England and live with Lauren and Elliot," he told Henry. "I've missed more than two years of my son's life, and I don't want to miss any more."

"I figured that much," Henry nodded. "I want to know two things, and take some time to think about this, son. One, do you want to make a quick, clean break and have me get someone in to replace you at the end of the week, or ywork out some notice and put some money in the bank. And two, do you want the option of going casual, even just to do the odd bit of cover for holidays?"

"Oh," Charlie said. He hadn't thought about the second option. He had just assumed that his job was all or nothing.

"Because," said Henry, "I'm not getting younger, and I'd love more time off. If you want to come and sit in my chair for a few weeks a year, that would be wonderful. You can bring Lauren, of course," he smiled at her, "and you know we have a creche if Lauren needs to work and you want child care?"

Charlie looked a bit taken aback. He hadn't known that, but then he hadn't ever really needed to. He drifted off into his own thoughts and, realising that, Henry instead spent time detailing the facilities and the options to Lauren and urging them both to take time to consider things.

"Either way, I'lltake you off the main roster for now," he said to Charlie. "For this week, and if you decide to work out some notice, well there's plenty that I can give you to do. Special projects, so to speak. But we'll take off the pressure and then," he winked, "maybe I've got more chance of persuading you to go casual, even if it's just now and again."

"Alright," said Charlie, and then he looked at Lauren. "I actually think, if it's alright with you, that I would like to take another couple of weeks of leave from Friday. There's a lot going on at home; my family is involved in trying to stop the marriage law, and I'm still getting to know Elliot better."

"Deal," said Henry, holding out his hand for Charlie to shake. "You'd have been due a month of paternity leave if you had known about Elliot, so I see no reason not to give you that from Friday. And you've got so much leave backed up that you'll be paid until halfway through October anyway, so just let me know when you're ready to talk more about whether you'd like the door to stay open."

"Thanks."

"I'll leave your cabin as it is til Christmas," Henry promised. "If you want to continue to work for us part-time or occasionally, you can keep it as long as you like. But if by Christmas you've decided you want to leave permanently, I'll need to re-allocate it to someone else."

"Fair enough," said Charlie, but he felt a pang in his stomach at Henry's words. Back in England, he had been certain that he had wanted to leave Romania and return home to be with Lauren and Elliot full-time. But now? Now that he had returned to his home to smell the mountains and be close to his dragons? He wondered if there was a way that he could have both.

"Go," said Henry. "You have plenty of time to think about everything, and you can't keep teasing Lauren with the promise of baby dragons and then make her wait…"

"Thanks." Charlie hadn't ever properly hugged Henry before, but when he saw Lauren reach out and hug his boss with a whisper of thanks for his kindness and understanding, it felt right to do the same, and Henry thumped the redheaded wizard's back a couple of times before pulling back.

"You're welcome, son. Congratulations. We'll see you at dinner this evening. Meg's looking forward to meeting Lauren and having a chat."

After leaving Henry's office, they walked to the western side of the reserve. There was little time to discuss Henry's words and offer, as Charlie wanted to use the time it took to make the slow stroll through the trees in the morning sun to give Lauren a rundown of what she needed to know before she entered the nesting area. When they entered, the new dragon mother was far less stroppy and protective than Lauren had previously assumed she would be. She couldn't believe that she had just walked into what looked like a normal building and then, yards later, was sitting on a transfigured cushion on the stony ground next to a full-grown dragon.

"She knows we're not going to hurt her or her babies," Charlie explained, tenderly stroking the big dragon's nose as she lay in one of the cold caves that had been especially carved out of the reserve's west rock face for the tamer dragons to nest in if they wanted to. "She knows me well, and she can sense that I love you. It helps that you're a mum yourself; they can definitely sense that."

"You're just beautiful," Lauren told the queen, who blinked in response.

"And it's perfect timing that she's in here on your first visit," Charlie told Lauren, "seeing as she had her own part in the story of how we met."

"Really?"

He nodded. "Remember the first day I turned up at the resort? I said I had been cataloguing nests or something?"

"Yes…" Lauren was aware now that he hadn't always been truthful with her that summer, and she wasn't yet completely OK with that. She still kept needing to unpack the things he had told her and replace them with fuller versions of the truth than he had been able to share at the time.

"Well," Charlie blushed a little, "that wasn't a lie … I just didn't say what sort of nests. But the reason I was near the resort wasn't anything to do with the nests. It was because I had caught a whiff of a teenage dragon whose tracks I didn't recognise." He looked tenderly at the queen. "It took me until the autumn to track her down and make friends … persuade her that we could offer sanctuary, but here she is … my errant Blume. Now home with us, and with babies of her own. Haven't you, love," he asked the dragon.

One of the bolder babies sneaked its nose out from under Blume and Charlie held out his hand. The tiny dragonlet took a moment to stand and then waddled towards Charlie, who kept very still as the newborn approached, sniffed his hand, and then sneezed, covering Charlie's hand in snot.

"Lovely, thank you," Charlie told the tiny dragon in a soft, slow voice, reaching behind him for a towel to wipe his hands and then making eye contact with Blume. "They could do with you teaching them some manners, love," he smiled at the dragon. "We'll let you rest." He turned to Lauren. "By the end of the week, she'll probably let you hold one, but I want her to get used to you first."

Lauren nodded. It was wonderful just to be here, and even if she never got to touch a baby dragon the experience had already surpassed her wildest expectations. She just hoped she could bring Elliot one day; what a magical experience this would be for their dragon-obsessed child. Since he was little, Elliot had wanted dragons or dinosaurs on everything. Lauren had always been aware that Charlie loved lizards, from their conversations about his work, but she hadn't had any idea that such big lizards existed, so she just assumed that Elliot had inherited a general animal-loving tendency from his dad and not thought anything much of the way in which his love was directed towards large lizards in particular. But now, she thought, as she watched Charlie tenderly bid Blume farewell and accepted the hand he offered to help her up, perhaps there was something in both Charlie and Elliot's make-up that made them both love the large beasts.

She was drawn from her reverie when they exited the cave and returned into the brilliant sunlight. Charlie had already walked her around half of the closest part of the reserve on their way to the west caves, and now he took her the rest of the way. He introduced her to friends, took her over a series of wooden tree walks and bridges from which the dragon keepers could view the different parts of the mountain range and showed her the infirmary, where they tended for sick dragons. He had taken her up in the wand-controlled lift to the top of the lookout tower and was in the middle of pointing out the parts of the reserve that were further afield when he heard Henry's voice calling him from the ground.

"Be right down," Charlie called, using a sonorous spell to ensure that Henry would hear him.

When they reached the ground, Lauren was concerned. Henry looked serious, but not worried. "There has," he said, "been a minor change of plan. Everything's fine, but can you come up to my office again with me?" Charlie and Lauren followed in his footsteps, Lauren reaching for Charlie's hand, looking for reassurance. Had Henry changed his mind about Charlie's paternity leave, or the flexibility that he had offered that morning?

Stepping inside Henry's office, Lauren's first thought was to feel grateful for the cooler temperature; it had been hotter outside than she had realised, and the air in here was more like that in Blume's cave. She turned to say something about that to Charlie, but stopped herself when she saw that he was open-mouthed and clearly speechless.

"Sir," he eventually managed, addressing the white-haired wizard who was standing in front of him. "What an honour…" Charlie extended his hand, and the older wizard took it in both of his own.

"Charlie," he said, in a soft voice that made Lauren feel instantly soothed. "How lovely to see you. And," he turned to Lauren, offering his hand to her too, "you must be Lauren. I've heard very nice things about you from Molly," he smiled. "I'm Newt Scamander. Call me Newt. That goes for you too," he said to Charlie.

"Newt, hello," said Lauren, smiling warmly. "It's lovely to meet you."

"Sit, sit," said Henry, ushering them all onto the circle of sofas that were kept at one end of his office for use in staff meetings. "Lauren, what will you have to drink?" He waved his wand and brought a few mugs down from the shelf while she was thinking, producing a coffee for Charlie, whose preference was well known throughout the reserve. Once Lauren had made her request, he heated water and made a cup of tea for her.

"Very English," said Newt with a gentle smile as she took a sip. "I heartily approve. I'm saving myself for The Burrow," he said to Henry when the reserve manager offered him a drink as well. "I'm hoping," he said to Charlie, "that your mother has been baking today. I hear from Minerva that she and your son do rather a lot of that?"

"They do," Lauren replied, before Charlie had finished processing his thoughts.

"You're going to The Burrow?" he asked Newt, looking between him and Henry. "And you know about our son? Is everything OK?"

"Everything is fine, Charlie," Henry reassured him. "And everybody is fine. There's nothing to worry about. Newt here has popped over from Hogwarts to bring a message."

Henry looked at Newt, who simply added, "Yes, Minerva called me in to consult with her this morning. She thinks she might know how your son can sense apparition."

Lauren and Charlie looked at each other, a bit concerned now. "How?" they asked together.

Henry took over again. "Apparently Minerva needs to ask Elliot a question or two to confirm her thinking, and of course she won't do that without you two there. But if she's right … well, it might affect your future decisions, so we'd like you to pop back to The Burrow for lunch. Newt's already got portkeys there and back. It'll only take a couple of hours, and you'll be back in time for dinner."


	74. Inardoe

Minerva McGonagall sat down on the lowest seat she could see in The Burrow's living room; a soft footstool, and beckoned Elliot to her. He looked in wonder as she held out her hand, showing him a large silver coin, and then transfigured it into a mouse, which ran up one of her arms and then down the other before settling in her other hand and sitting up on its back legs.

"You can pet it, if you like," she told him, and Elliot reached out one finger, touching its head.

"What's her name?" he asked.

Minerva hesitated, but only for a second. "Let's call her Maisie," she replied, tipping her head to survey the mouse as Elliot quietly continued stroking and examining her.

Just a few feet away, Molly, Charlie and Lauren were sat on the sofa. Fred had pulled Hermione into his lap in a nearby armchair. Despite being the eldest of them all, Newt Scamander was sitting cross-legged on the floor next to Minerva, also wanting to be at Elliot's level. He was gazing at Maisie and stealing the occasional glance at the tiny wizard who he had been introduced to just a short time before.

Charlie and Lauren had portkeyed into The Burrow's garden with Newt just a few minutes after Fred and Hermione had flooed in from the shop. Molly hadn't got as far as discovering why Fred and Hermione had popped over but, thinking that it would be good for Lauren to have someone else she knew, had quickly explained things to her son and daughter-in-law. It appeared that Molly had gone to Hogwarts that morning to take tea with Minerva, while Arthur and Elliot went on an insect walk around the village. Molly was overexcited, Hermione realised, and the timeline wasn't clear, but it seemed that Newt and Minerva thought they had figured out what was happening with Elliot. And they had pulled Charlie and Lauren back from Romania in order to investigate further. It was all very intriguing and Fred was sending every visual he could get to George, by means of their twin bond.

"She's very soft," Elliot told Minerva, finally looking up as he continued to pat the little mouse on the head with one tiny finger. "What's your name?" he asked the elderly witch.

"Well," she thought a bit before she answered. She had heard him addressing George and sensed – correctly – that, if she didn't choose her own diminutive, he would select one for her. "When you come to school, you'll have to call me Headmistress, but I think I'd like it if you called me Auntie Minnie for now…"

Hermione made an almost inaudible, 'awwww' sound, looking at Fred with a soft expression, which he returned.

"Like Auntie Miney?"

"Hmmm, yes, but Auntie Minnie."

He practised a few times until he had got it, still focused on the mouse. Then he looked up at Newt.

"Are you a real newt?" he said; the look on his face giving away the fact that he knew he was being cheeky.

Newt simply let out a soft laugh. "No, but I know some newts you could meet sometime, if you like."

Elliot's nod was vigorous.

"And," Newt added, leaning towards Elliot with a naughty look across at Charlie and Fred, "I know a witch who can turn into a cat!" he revealed, his eyes widening in delight.

"Really?" Elliot's eyes were wide and Molly chuckled to see the same degree of delight shared by the little boy and the elderly man, who was nodding. It was clear that each had made a friend.

"Can we ask you a question, Elliot?" Minerva said, still speaking softly and focusing on the mouse as well. Having met Lauren and seen how open she was, she thought it was unlikely that Elliot would try to keep a secret, but she couldn't account for what he might have been told in a different way.

Elliot nodded, looking up and meeting her gaze. Not for the first time, Minerva smiled to see this replica of the tiny, sincere Charlie Weasley, of whom she had so many fond memories as a child. Briefly, she looked at Molly.

"I know," said her redheaded friend quietly, "it's like turning the clock back…"

"What's my question?" Elliot asked.

"Oh," said Minerva, trying to sound casual. She knew she might only have one chance to do this, and she needed to make sure that he felt safe and didn't close down. "I just wondered if you could tell us about your animal friend? The one we can't see."

Fred's hand squeezed Hermione's before the squeak could escape her lips, and Lauren turned to Charlie, looking a bit confused.

Elliot looked into Minerva's eyes for several seconds, appraising her. Then he resumed his petting of the mouse. "Inardoe," he said.

"Is that his name?" Newt asked softly.

Elliot nodded. The room was silent, and Molly cast a quick spell under her breath, warding the doors and windows to ensure it stayed that way. The last thing they needed was another Weasley bouncing in and interrupting this conversation.

"Is he always with you?" Newt asked again.

Elliot considered this and then shook his head.

"Just sometimes?" That time, it was Minerva who spoke. She was also stroking the mouse, running her finger down its soft little back and watching the little boy out of the corner of her eye as he nodded in response to that question. Minerva suppressed a smile. Charlie had also tended to answer the exact question that he had been asked, until something captured his attention and sparked a monologue. "Does he tell you things?"

"Yes, when people whoosh, and when bunnies are near. I like to hug them," he explained, all in one breath, "but they run off, so Fred makes me bunnies that stay."

"That's wonderful." Clearly, she had found the way into this conversation with Elliot. "I should think Fred's a lovely uncle?"

"Yes," Elliot said. "He and Forgie got me a stick," he said proudly, looking around for his toy wand, "and I make sparkles."

"How lovely," she said, touching the little boy on the arm to get his attention back. Then, just as casually, she asked, "does Inardoe help you?" Elliot nodded once again.

"How does he help you, Elliot?" That time, it was Newt who asked.

There was a pause and Elliot tipped his head to one side, as if thinking about the answer. Or listening for it, perhaps. "He helps me with words," he said, after a moment.

"Does he look after you?"

"Yes." That time, the answer was immediate. "Not like Mummy and Daddy though. He doesn't make sausages or do baths." He actually pronounced it 'barfs', eliciting a grin from Fred, who hid his face in Hermione's neck so as not to make his nephew feel self-conscious.

"I don't suppose he could do those things without hands, could he?" Newt smiled at Elliot, who giggled and shook his head. He made clawing motions with his fingers, laughing as he showed them. Newt copied his action and the two of them giggled.

"I wish I could see him," Minerva said. "You're very special to have him. No-one has had a friend like Inardoe for a very long time, as far as we know." She looked at Newt and then slowly shook her head to reinforce her point. "We only know about special friends like him from books."

Lauren looked at Charlie with a smile. She was touched that Elliot had an imaginary friend, although she couldn't see how that would explain how he could sense apparition. Charlie had a curious expression on his face, though, and she watched him closely as Minerva continued speaking.

"Do you know why he's with you?" Newt was asking Elliot.

Elliot nodded. "Daddy tried to save him, but he couldn't keep him earfside, and Mummy and Daddy toast him and Inardoe help make me."

Charlie gasped and tears filled his eyes. Fred, Hermione, Molly and Lauren looked confused, but Elliot ran over and climbed on his lap. "Don't cry, Daddy," he said, wiping Charlie's tears. "He knows you helped him and he says it was meant to be. You have his Gandad's heart thing." He indicated Charlie's wand, and that time it was Molly who gasped.

Minerva looked at her, with raised eyebrows. "Molly?" She spoke quietly.

"Years ago, we were in Diagon Alley," Molly said, just as quietly, "and Ollivander came up to me and insisted that he had a new wand for Charlie. One that he must have; he wouldn't even let us pay for it..." She trailed off, looking at her second eldest son. "We saved Charlie's old wand for Ron, though I believe it didn't work too well for him. Charlie's new one worked so much better for him; Ollivander clearly knew what he was doing…"

Minerva nodded, remembering how Charlie had made a sudden leap in his ability in her transfiguration classes the year he had turned up with his new wand. There had been no stopping him after that and she seemed to spend half of her scholastic life turfing either him or Bill out of corners of the castle in which they were snogging witches on soft furnishings. Both of the oldest Weasley boys liked to impress women by transfiguring things from bits of cloth that she suspected the two of them stole from Molly's ragbag and carried around in their pockets in case of kissing emergencies.

Charlie cuddled his son to his chest. "Tell me his name again?" he said softly.

"Inardoe," replied Elliot.

Charlie looked at Lauren, realising that she wasn't following at all. "Do you remember what you named the creature I lost that day in Romania?" he asked her. "The day you held me," he said, more softly and with a meaningful glance to jog her memory.

Lauren's eyes grew wide. "Leonardo," she said, as she reached for Charlie's hand. "I remember that day … you were so sad…"

"Yes, Inardoe," insisted Elliot.

Charlie nodded. "He was a dragon … or would have been." He swallowed, looking at Lauren. "I'm sorry I wasn't honest, love. I wasn't allowed to tell you … and I'm not sure you would have believed me anyway…"

"It's OK, Charlie." Lauren squeezed his hand. Then she turned to Minerva, confused. "But what does that have to do with Elliot? I don't understand how this all fits together."

Fred was relieved to hear this. He was also confused, and he knew from the bond connection that Hermione wasn't all that clear about what was happening either. Back at the shop, George had all but given up listening in, realising that they would tell him upon their return when, perhaps, it might make sense.

Minerva took a deep breath. "Our history books tell of a special kind of…" she searched for an appropriate muggle term for Lauren, "…spirit guide. A magical creature who forms in the womb – or in this case in its egg – but who isn't born into its own body. Instead, its spirit becomes the catalyst and guide for a special human. It might even somehow spark conception. We don't know how. I'm sorry," she looked deeply apologetic and turned to Newt.

The elderly wizard took over the explanation. "What few stories we do have suggest that it tends to happen in times of impending crisis." He paused. "And in the presence of great love. If I'm putting everything together correctly, it sounds like you went to some lengths to try to save a baby dragon, Charlie, and then you and Lauren honoured him in some way."

"We toasted him on my hotel room balcony the evening of the day you lost him; gave him a name," Lauren reminded Charlie. "But how…" She trailed off, seeing Minerva's apologetic face. She had already said that she didn't know how. "So the spirit of the unborn dragon is somehow connecting with Elliot?"

"Exactly," Minerva said, casting a quick and temporary spell which made musical notes float around Elliot's head, much to his delight as he jumped off Charlie's lap and chased them around the room. "And to Elliot," she said quickly, while the little boy couldn't hear her for the music, "this is totally normal and okay. He probably thinks we all have one…"

Lauren nodded. "What's the deal with his Grandad, though?" She touched Charlie's leg, where she knew he kept his wand. "And Charlie's wand?"

"Some of our wands," Minerva said slowly, fervently hoping that Lauren wasn't a vegetarian or otherwise squeamish about animals, "contain core materials that have been taken from magical creatures after their deaths."

"It might sound cruel, I know," Newt added, "but we don't hurt them and it's one reason that we try to connect with our creatures and help them in life."

Lauren swallowed, but not because of any squeamishness. She just had no idea where this could possibly be going next.

Minerva took up the explanation again. "And it sounds to me as if Charlie's second wand was made from what we call the heartstring of one of Inardoe's ancestors, though don't ask me to do the arithmancy on that just yet, please…" She looked at Molly, who pulled a sympathetic face. Both were thinking of how many more morning tea dates they would enjoy in the near future, while chewing this all over. Molly edged forward on her sofa, waiting for her moment.

"That would have pre-empted Charlie trying to save Leonardo by several years, though," remarked Hermione, with a slight frown. "And it was long before he met Lauren…"

"Indeed," Minerva said. "Like I said, I can't explain it all. I don't know if I'll ever be able to." She looked at Newt again.

"We've long suspected that at least some dragons can see future possibilities," he said, and Charlie nodded in agreement. "The apparition prediction is only a tiny example of that. Perhaps Leonardo's grandfather had some awareness, somehow … I don't know… This is unprecedented. But I'd very much like to work with Elliot when he's older, if you'll allow that."

Lauren looked at Molly. The afternoon was becoming rather surreal for her. She had awoken in the Romanian mountains, to the sight of dragons flying over the balcony of Charlie's cabin. Her morning had then consisted of meeting a real, live dragon and her babies and then the most delightful wizard who told she needed to come home for a couple of hours. And now this.

"Tea?" Molly asked, having anticipated this moment.

"Oh, that would be lovely, Mum," Lauren said, making Molly squirm in delight despite the nature of the conversation as she realised that this was the first time Lauren had called her that. Lauren felt a little shellshocked and her mouth was horribly dry. It wasn't every day that you learned that your son, who you had only recently discovered to be a wizard, was also intimately connected with the spirit of a baby dragon who had never made it onto the earth, despite the best efforts of your son's father.

"I think we could all use one," said Molly, raising herself from the sofa and waving away Fred's offer of making it for her.

Lauren only had one question, and she didn't want to upset Elliot by asking, but she really needed to know. Taking her little boy in her lap when he next came towards her, she gave him a series of kisses and reassured him of her love before asking softly and in as neutral a tone as she could summon, "why didn't you tell me about him before, lovely?"

Elliot looked at her, eyes wide. "He said not tell til you ask."

"Oh." That made Lauren feel a bit better and, when she considered it, it did make sense. If Elliot had told her about Inardoe before she had been reunited with Charlie, she would have just assumed that he was a figment of Elliot's imagination. Lauren stroked Elliot's head as she cradled him in her lap, glad of his momentary stillness. She and Elliot had always been so close, and the idea that he had been having some sort of relationship with an unseen dragon was really a bit more than she had anticipated when she got up this morning. But she had taken a lot in her stride over the past couple of weeks; Lauren imagined she could manage one more surprise.

"He's on Daddy," Elliot announced happily, sitting up straighter to look into Lauren's eyes.

"What's that lovely?" Lauren asked, as Molly came out of the kitchen again, heading for the cupboard that housed the firewhisky. Fred and Hermione exchanged a smile, but said nothing.

"Inardoe's on Daddy," Elliot said again, very matter-of-factly. Climbing over to Charlie's lap, he pulled down Charlie's shirt to show everyone the tattoo of the baby Welsh Green before stroking it lovingly with his finger.

Lauren burst out laughing; the action providing her with some much-needed light relief. "About time you had a taste of that," she said, raising her eyebrows in Charlie's direction.

"Oh, Gods," said Molly sympathetically, standing back up with the firewhisky bottle in her hand. "Did it happen often? Fred and George were the worst of mine for that! They would approach in tandem, and there was no stopping them!"

"Yes, very often!" laughed Lauren, poking Elliot teasingly in the side as she did. Seeing Charlie's confused face, she explained. "Toddlers helping themselves to milk by pulling your shirt down in public when they want to feed." She shook her head, remembering with a smile. "Elliot was almost always quicker than I was! So now it's your turn," she smiled, as Charlie looked at his son who was happily baring and stroking Charlie's skin to show everyone the tattoo of the Welsh green.

"Is that why you like to put your face on him and stroke him when we're in the bath?" Charlie asked Elliot.

"Yes," Elliot replied. "I want Inardoe on me too."

"Oh Gods," Molly exclaimed again, unable to help herself and causing Fred and Charlie to laugh. She quickly poured out the firewhisky and handed the glasses around.

"When you're older," Lauren told him. "When your skin has grown and you're as big as Daddy, then you can." She leaned in towards him. "If we drew him on you now," she said, making a funny face, "when you got as big as Daddy and Fred then he would get all stretchy!"

Elliot giggled, but then looked a bit sad. His bottom lip came out in a pout. "Everything happens when I'm older," he said in a quiet voice.

"Well," said Fred, leaning in towards the little boy. "Do you remember when Forgie had the bandage on his hand in the shop?"

"Yes!" said Elliot, loudly. "There were fireworks!" Again, Molly was reminded of the tiny Fred and, sipping her firewhisky, gave thanks to the sky that she had been blessed with this dear little grandson so much sooner than she had anticipated. No matter who else was or wasn't guiding him, she was going to shower him with all the love in her heart.

"Well," said Fred, "Auntie Miney and Forgie made that, so maybe they could make you a picture of Inardoe on something you can wear?"

"Can you? Can you?" Elliot asked Hermione excitedly.

"I'm sure we can," she said, smiling at him. "When George is here too."

Elliot turned to Fred. "Can you get Forgie to whoosh with your stick?"

"Not this minute, mate," he said, "sorry. He has to look after the shop."

"And besides," said Molly, ever the tantrum-dampener. She remained determined to make Lauren's life as easy as possible. "I know something else you don't have to wait til you're big for … cake!"

"Yes!" shouted Elliot, running off towards the kitchen, with Molly in pursuit.

"Are you OK, love?" Charlie asked Lauren, and she smiled.

"You keep having to ask me that!"

"I know," he laughed, "but it keeps getting madder!" Then something struck him, and he looked puzzled. "Didn't you say you thought Elliot was conceived on our last night?" he asked, and Lauren nodded.

"I guess maybe not, though?" she asked, to no-one in particular. "I mean, you lost Leonardo … Inardoe," she corrected herself, "a good couple of weeks before that, if memory serves…"

"Was there a reason you thought it was that night in particular, love?" Charlie asked, eliciting a sigh from Lauren.

"No … just the romance of it, I suppose," she said, after a few moments of thought. "When I looked back, I just felt we had connected more deeply that night, and then when I did a bit of maths with the dates ... I figured that was the night. But it was very intense the night you lost Inardoe as well..."

"Was Elliot born a bit late according to your due date?" That was Molly, levitating a platter piled high with slices of cake.

"A bit," said Lauren, "but not much. A couple of days."

Molly looked at Minerva. "All Weasley babies are a good two weeks late. Except the twins, of course." She rolled her eyes and smiled at Fred and Hermione. "They couldn't wait to get out and start making mischief."

Hermione looked at Fred and smiled. "Why doesn't that surprise me?" she said, as he gave her a wink.

Lauren took a moment to let the information sink in. "Well there we go," she said, mostly to herself, but then looking at Elliot as he re-entered the room with the important job of carrying and handing round napkins, "so maybe you were conceived on the day Charlie lost Inardoe."

"Which was," Charlie said quietly into her ear, as everyone else began helping themselves to cake, "I realised in retrospect," he applied a kiss to her earlobe, "the day I fell in love with you."

Lauren turned to him. "Really?" she whispered.

Charlie pushed his nose into her curls, wanting his next words to only be for her. "You just held me, draga mea … you spoke my own words back to me, about not being afraid of my tears. Until that point, I had never met a woman I felt safe to cry with, love… Well, other than Mum." He smiled to see Molly fully engaged in cake distribution, with their son's assistance. "They all wanted me to be the big, tough, strong dragon keeper…" His eyes flashed, but there was no humour in them this time.

Lauren wasted no time. She turned towards him and kissed him gently. "You're safe being anyone you need to be with me, Charlie Weasley," she said, softly.

"I know I am," he replied, moving his head back and returning his voice to normal. "That's why I'm keeping you… We'll figure this out along with everything else, love, don't worry."

"To be honest," Minerva said, smiling at the loving couple, "I don't think there will be anything to figure out. Newt and I have a theory," she said slowly, swirling another spell to mask their conversation from Elliot and looking at Molly and Lauren to check their reaction, "and I do realise how this will sound … that Elliot might have been the dragons' back-up plan." She paused, twisting her mouth a little while she chose her next words. "In case Harry somehow didn't achieve his goal." She sipped her tea, allowing that thought to set in.

Charlie took a deep breath. "That kind of makes sense. The four that we brought over to the school for the Triwizard Tournament were especially agitated after Cedric… They sensed Voldemort's return even from Romania." He paused to think, and then turned to Newt. "Cedric was lost just days before Lauren and I met. So do you mean that they planned this in case they needed a witch or wizard they could communicate with in the future, if they needed to step in and help defeat Voldemort?" He stared at his son in amazement, though Elliot was more interested in his cake, and in sharing tiny crumbs of it with the mouse.

"We may have it wrong," Newt said, his blue eyes as piercing as ever. "But that's our best guess. The dragons already trusted you, Charlie. They'd have seen you as an ideal father, although possibly they thought that your child would stay nearby."

Minerva smiled at both of them. "And when they got a sense of who Lauren was from her care of you and your toasting of Inardoe," Lauren was touched to notice that she had used Elliot's version of his friend's name without missing a beat, "I think that cemented you both as the right parents for their chosen witch or wizard. I don't know when he was conceived exactly … I don't suppose we'll ever know…"

"So is he still…" Lauren began, a look of concern in her eyes, "I mean he IS ours … he looks so like Charlie and I can see myself in him … he has my ebullience, for a start, and my complete and utter lack of physical co-ordination…"

"Oh there's no doubt of that at all, dear," Minerva reassured her. "There's nothing artificial going on here. At most, if you were using anything to, well, you know, to not become parents at that point in your relationship, then I suspect the dragons could and would have rendered that ineffective."

Lauren let out a short laugh. "I'd say!"

Minerva allowed herself a small smile at that. "And they simply … well I have no idea what the right word is, but whatever they did meant that Elliot got a friend to guard him and teach him and, if need be, to guide him."

"So that's why he's so advanced. In language and thought processing," Lauren said.

Minerva looked at her. "Partly. The fact that you're so bright and eloquent will have made a difference too," she said. "And you talk to him so much. Inardoe's not achieved that by himself, but it does sound like Elliot has been having some additional help, yes. They'll have known that time was of the essence..." She trailed off, wondering if it was too soon to offer educational help as and when the little boy needed it.

"What happens from now on?" Charlie asked, although he suspected that Minerva had no more idea than he did. His old teacher pulled a face, reading his thoughts, but it was Newt who answered.

"You know as much as we do now, Charlie." He turned to Lauren. "I don't know how much you know, ma'am, but our world has suffered great terror. We've experienced huge loss and significant damage. But we are now rebuilding and the future looks very hopeful. Every prediction and sign points to us having at least a few good decades and the chance to rebuild our community and our world."

Lauren nodded. "I'm picking up bits and pieces. I don't know too much about how Harry fits in, although," she smiled, "Harry seems to like it that way. As does Ron…"

Minerva smiled. "Oh I'm sure they do," she said. She looked at Molly again, having heard the story of the chocolate frog in her office earlier that morning.

"I'm going to fill in the rest for you, dear, as promised," Molly said brightly. "In fact, I thought I might go out this week and get all the wool to begin my Christmas jumpers." She tipped her head towards Elliot. "Seeing as I have two more to make this year," she smiled brightly at that thought. "And I thought perhaps when you're back from Romania you could bring your sewing and we'll chat while we work."

"That sounds lovely," Lauren replied. And very normal and everyday, she thought, looking at Elliot, still trying to get her head around what she had discovered.

"I think," Minerva continued, "that we just need to wait and see." She shrugged. "We have people with all sorts of abilities in our world; he'll not stand out as much as you might fear. You may find that Inardoe fades from importance as Elliot grows and interacts more with people, or he may stay around." She looked back at the little boy, who was still oblivious to their conversation. "You might find that Elliot wants to follow Charlie into dragon research. And who knows; if Inardoe stays with him then the possibilities for increasing our knowledge are potentially boundless."

Newt looked excited at that, and Fred laughed to see Charlie and Hermione's faces light up too. Minerva cast a finite to remove the sound-altering spell she had used to muffle the conversation from Elliot. "I need to take Maisie home soon," she told him.

"OK," Elliot replied. "Inardoe can hear you," he said, matter-of-factly. "And he says you're right and we want to work with Daddy and be dragon we- … we-…"

"Researchers?" said his mum softly.

"Yes," Elliot said firmly. "Together. We want to be together."

"Right then," said Charlie. "That's cool. I'd better start by teaching you both everything I know. And," he looked at Lauren, "I think, if your mum is OK with it, when we get back to the reserve, we had better tell Henry that, as much as I still want us to live in England for most of the year, he'd better keep my cabin ready for us for a few weeks here and there. If we're going to be dragon researchers together."

Lauren nodded and smiled. She had already been thinking about Henry's words. She already knew she would love to visit the reserve on occasion, and she sensed that Charlie would love to be able to continue the work he was passionate about, even if it was on an occasional basis. "That sounds brilliant, lovely. We'll be nomadic dragon researchers together." She looked at Elliot and smiled. "All four of us, and whoever else wants to join our family next."


	75. Lemons and coconut cake

While Lauren and Charlie had been drinking wine on the balcony with Piotr on the Sunday evening, after their busy day of product making at The Burrow, Hermione and Fred had left George in Molly's tender care and apparated back home for an early night.

Insisting that she needed a quick and solitary shower after her day of running around, Hermione had grabbed the bag in which her new negligee was hiding, plus a couple of other things from her wardrobe. With a quick smile in the direction of Fred, who was playing with the pygmy puffs, she headed to the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later, she emerged wearing her school uniform, which she had shrunk by a couple of sizes once it was on.

When Fred saw her, he swore loudly and strode across the living room to take her in his arms.

"I believe you said you'd like to see me in my prefect uniform again," she said, putting her hands on her hips and trying to look stern.

"Fuck, yes," he breathed, more quietly this time, and went to kiss her.

"Oh no, Mister Granger-Weasley!" she said, bossily, putting one hand on his chest to stop his advances. Fred felt himself harden at the tone of her voice. "You've been running around too. I'd like you showered as well please," she ordered, and he nodded, loving this assertive, sexy Hermione. "And," she said, her voice quieter, "I deserve a thrill of my own, so you'll get into your beater uniform and then you can come and tell me why you love to break rules so much. And then I'll decide on your punishment…"

Fred had never showered and dressed as fast in his life. He had also never been more thankful for the looseness of the quidditch uniform trousers and the fact that he hadn't gained weight since school. They were, luckily, large enough to accommodate his erection and allow him to close them without pain. Applying a drying charm to his hair but otherwise leaving it tousled as if he had been playing, he had exited the bathroom and gone to stand in front of Hermione.

"I'm ready now, Miss Hermione," he said, his head bowed so that he could look at her from under his lashes.

"Are you now?" she asked. "Well come into my office then, and let's see if you can think of a way of making it up to me."

He allowed Hermione to lead him to their bedroom. "Sit down please," she said, pointing to the chair in the corner of the room. He obeyed, silently; realising he could feel his own heartbeat.

"Now," she said, slowly shucking off her outer robes to reveal the too-small shirt and skirt that she was wearing, along with a pair of stockings. "Bad boys need to make up for their misdeeds." Fred felt another huge wave of arousal and thought he might burst at hearing the tone in her voice. He couldn't believe his luck. It had always turned him on when she had told him off at school, but the idea that the sometime prim and always classy Hermione Granger would actually play this game with him was beyond his wildest imaginings. Fred wondered how far she would be willing to go, but then caught himself and took a deep breath. They had decades to explore each other and their fantasies; he would be satisfied with anything she was offering tonight.

"What would you like me to do, Miss?" he asked meekly.

"Well," said Hermione. "As it happens, I rather like seeing boys in their quidditch robes. It turns me on." She leaned forward, allowing him to look down her shirt. "Makes me wet," she whispered into his ear. He gasped, and then gave a long sigh.

"Does it, Miss?"

"It does," she said, straightening up again. Her hands moved to her skirt and she undid the zip, pushing the tight garment down until it fell to the floor. Fred looked down and his body reacted again when he saw the tops of the stockings and something red underneath her shirt. Hermione didn't make him wait; she began to unbutton her shirt, maintaining eye contact with him as she moved from the bottom to the top. His eyes grew wide as he saw the red lacy teddy that she had bought.

"I bought this for my husband," she told him, pulling the shirt off and throwing it to one side. "Thought he deserved a treat. He's so kind to me," she breathed.

"I'm sure you deserve every morsel of his kindness, Miss," he replied, unable to keep the grin from his face.

"Maybe," she conceded, and then her voice became sterner again. "But we're not here to discuss that."

"No, Miss," Fred said. "How can I help you, Miss?" he asked. "What's my punishment?"

"Well," said Hermione, trailing her fingers over her body and down between her legs, making Fred wonder if his cock would ever be soft again. He fervently hoped that she had put the wards up so they wouldn't be disturbed. Hermione felt that thought and sent a soft 'yes' through their bond even as she maintained her prefect role. "I thought we'd see if you could follow instructions for a change. My new outfit here, it has these clever little buttons underneath." She sat on the edge of the bed and then spread her legs a little, moving her fingers to show him where the three tiny buttons were.

"Mmmmmm, fuck." Fred thought she looked absolutely delicious.

"Language, Fred!" she reprimanded. "I want to test it. Stand up!" she ordered, her voice becoming a little louder.

Fred obeyed immediately.

"Come over here…" Hermione beckoned with her finger, and he did. She scooted further back onto the bed, pulling a large pillow underneath her shoulders so that she could see him. "Now," she continued. "Take your boots and trousers and boxers off and let me see you! No, leave the robes on." Her voice became softer, as she remembered her days of watching him fly through the air from the high stand in the school field; robes billowing in the wind and making him look like a sexy redheaded superhero. "I like the robes." She continued to run her fingers over her body while he stripped the boots and clothes off his lower half, loving the sight of her watching him.

"Is this OK, Miss?" he asked, standing tall and proud once he had done as she asked.

"Yes, that is satisfactory," she said, trailing her hand over his body to ensure they were both clear that she was in charge of the touching here. "Now," she became bossier again, "on the bed, on your knees!"

He moved quickly, though a part of his mind had already decided that, if she ever did anything like this again, he might be a little truculent or disobedient, just to see what she would do.

"I want you to undo the buttons with your fingers," she told him, "but as soon as you've done that, put your hands behind your back."

He could feel her wet curls as he reached for the three buttons, undoing them as slowly as possible while sneaking as many touches with his fingers and knuckles as he thought he could get away with.

"I know what you're doing!" Hermione said, and his cock twitched. "If you don't obey, I will have to punish you further! Hurry with the buttons!" She was becoming rather desperate for release.

Fred groaned. He popped the final button and gently folded the fabric back over her curls to reveal her pussy. He moved his hand away, making sure that he dragged his knuckle directly over her clit as he did so. Hermione's hips bucked, and she gasped.

"Naughty, naughty boy," she reprimanded. "Did I give you permission to do that?"

"No, Miss," he said. He looked up at her, a cheeky look on his face. "You might have to spank me…"

"I might," she agreed. "But for now, I want your tongue on me. Make me come with your naughty tongue. No hands."

Fred didn't need a second invitation. His mouth was on her immediately, licking and tonguing her. They were both so turned on that it took only a couple of minutes for him to bring her to orgasm on his lips and, as she began to come, she called his name and ordered him to fuck her.

Crawling further onto the bed, Fred thrust his hard cock inside her in one move, and Hermione squealed, her head tipping back in delight. "Is that OK, Miss?" he asked, thrusting in and out with a relentless rhythm, knowing he wouldn't last long either. "It this what you want, Miss Prefect? A fit, young quidditch player at your mercy, tonguing your pretty pussy at your command and then fucking you into your bed?"

"Fred, yes," Hermione breathed, as she felt the first wave of her second orgasm approach. Fred didn't slow the pace until they had both peaked, and then he rolled over onto his side, bringing Hermione with him and cradling her in his arms.

"Fuck, love, what a treat that was," he muttered, summoning a blanket to cover them in their post-orgasmic glow. He stroked the strap of the teddy, gently returning it to her shoulder as it had fallen down when she moved.

"You said you liked it when I was bossy," she said, a little shyly now.

"I fucking LOVE it when you get bossy like that!" He had spotted the beginning of her blush. "Don't be embarrassed, love. You were amazing, and I loved it. Can we PLEASE do that again soon? It was such a turn-on for me…"

"Actually," she confessed, biting her lip and then baring her teeth slightly in an embarrassed grin, "it was quite a bit more of a turn-on for me than I anticipated…"

Fred laughed, applying a reassuring kiss as he made soothing noises. When he pulled back, they smiled gently at each other, and then quickly fell asleep together. It was far earlier than they would usually have gone to bed, but they were tired by their busy day and neither wanted to leave the other's arms.

Back at the Burrow, Arthur had given George a couple of firewhiskies to help him remain in his chilled-out state. Then, Molly had ushered him into his own bed at the same time she put Elliot into Fred's. Arthur sat on the end of Fred's bed and read a few bedtime stories. The intention was to read to Elliot, but he secretly loved seeing the contented look on George's face which clearly indicated that he was enjoying the experience just as much as his nephew. Twice George prompted Elliot to request particular stories, and Arthur hid his smile at the fact that the requests were George's own favourites when he was little.

Once Arthur had tucked Elliot in and wished them both goodnight, the two of them had slept soundly until Elliot had woken and climbed out of Fred's bed at about two a.m. Remembering with some excitement that he had a roommate, he sneaked into George's bed, patting his uncle on the nose until he awoke. The two had had a short chat before George persuaded Elliot that it would be good to go back to sleep. Elliot agreed to do so if he could stay in George's bed, so George picked up his wand and summoned Mr Rabbit and Bryan across the room, much to Elliot's delight. The four of them slept in a row in George's single bed until eight. Then, George bolted down a quick breakfast, knowing that they only had a couple of hours before opening the newly revamped store as advertised. It had totally been worth it; he felt like a new man after Bill's spell and a night back at his childhood home.

Fred and Hermione had been hard at work when George arrived back in Diagon Alley. Fred had been putting the final touches on the new look of the store and overseeing the training of the shop assistants that Lee and Verity had hired. And Hermione was turning the lists she had used at the weekend into a more permanent inventory system, so that they could keep track of stock levels on a day-to-day basis. That wasn't hard, as George had created a similar system before the war, but it hadn't been the top priority during the rebuilding of the shop. Upon seeing them, George had given them both an enormous hug, telling them that, early waking from Elliot apart, he had slept more soundly than he had since the war. The relief that Fred felt would have been palpable even without their bond. He had a strong sense that this was the start of things being OK again for George and that feeling kept him humming and whistling his way through the day.

When they took down the façade and opened the doors with a flourish at ten, they had all been delighted to see a long queue of customers keen to see the new-look store. Fred and George stood one either side of the door and welcomed people in for the first half hour; answering questions and offering information about products, new and old. Charlie's play area was a sensation and within minutes it was full of children whose parents were happily spending money in the store in exchange for the break that they were getting.

Hermione had watched them for a bit from her stool next to Lee's at the till. She had positioned herself there to ensure that the inventory spell was working, having designed it to automatically update the chart in their office every time a sale was made. It meant that they – well George, for it was mostly his role – could look at it at the end of each day and see what needed to be restocked. A delightful and unanticipated advantage of her position was that she was able to listen to what people were saying to Lee about the date baskets, and it seemed that they were going down a storm. Behind her, Hermione's quill was scribbling furiously, as she listened carefully to customer feedback and suggestions. Before it was even eleven, she had ideas for a range of magically enhanced greetings and gift cards, with messages suited to the current situation, that she was keen to discuss with Fred and George.

When Fred had passed her, the look he gave her almost caused her to melt. She slid off the stool, telling Lee she was off, and heard him laugh as she passed. "You're making this bonding thing look very tempting," he said, mostly under his breath.

She turned while she was still close enough to speak quietly. "Oh, it's to be heartily recommended!" she winked.

When she walked back into her office, it was to find George suggesting that she and Fred went to The Burrow for an hour.

"We're fine here," he said, "and you did all the early morning work while I was snoozing with Elliot. Take a break and nip home," he offered. "Mum and Elliot might be baking! And if there's anything in the oven, don't come back til it's baked and ready for distribution!"

"Alright," Fred grinned, taking Hermione's hand and pulling her towards the apparition cupboard. He didn't need to be asked a second time; they had both been up since early, and they had all worked bloody hard at the weekend.

They had no idea, however, quite how surprising their hour at The Burrow would be. Molly and Elliot hadn't been baking at all. Instead, they found Minerva in deep conversation with Molly over a pot of tea, and Charlie, Lauren and Newt Scamander had portkeyed in before the two witches could even finish explaining what was happening. It was all rather confusing and, when Molly told the two of them to sit and just be supportive, they settled together into an armchair and obeyed.

It became slightly less confusing in the hour that followed, although both of them still had questions about Inardoe, Elliot and how this revelation would affect the little family even as they hugged everyone goodbye and headed back to the shop. Lauren and Charlie, it seemed, were going to stay at The Burrow and have lunch with Molly, Arthur and Elliot before going back to Romania. Fred and Hermione had both been relieved to see Lauren smiling and wishing them a good week as Molly bustled around the kitchen heating up soup.

"I'm here anytime you want to chat," Hermione had whispered into Lauren's ear.

"Thanks, lovely," the older woman said. "Though it's not really any weirder than the rest of the stuff I'm getting used to!"

Hermione smiled. "I'm glad that's how you feel," she said. "We have a few people in our world who have special abilities." She tipped her head to one side. "Little Teddy, who you've yet to meet, he can change his appearance. Harry can talk to serpents and snakes. Some of us can turn into animals…"

"Including Auntie Minnie," Fred whispered, leaning into the conversation.

"Really?" Lauren's eyes were wide.

Charlie nodded, with a grin. "She's the cat that Newt was referring to!"

Lauren laughed. "But she conjures mice?" She looked confused, and shook her head.

"What I love about you," Fred said, "is that the bit of that you questioned wasn't the fact that a human being can turn into a cat, but that the cat-witch would conjure a mouse!"

"It's a surprising turn of events," said Lauren, smiling at him. She did enjoy bantering with Fred.

"Marry this woman," Fred ordered Charlie. "Or I'll make Georgie marry her, so I can keep her."

"I think Angie might have something to say about that," Hermione remarked.

Fred said nothing to that. He wasn't sure how George and Angelina were doing these days. He hoped they were OK.

"No-one except me is marrying Lauren," Charlie said, firmly. "Though," he looked down at the muggle woman, "I'm not sure whether she'll even let me marry her, so can you please stop sounding like Mum!"

Fred threw his hands up in horror, flashing his eyes and laughing loudly. Lauren simply hugged Charlie. "One life-altering revelation at a time, please," she whispered, just loudly enough for everyone nearby to hear.

"Oh alright!" Fred said, a bit unexpectedly.

Charlie looked surprised.

"Sorry," Fred said to Lauren. "Not you. I'm talking to George Nosey Weasley. He can't work out what's happening. He'll have seen my mental images of Elliot and Inardoe but he can't see how they fit together!"

"We should get back to him," Hermione said, hugging the others goodbye and gently pulling Fred away so that they could apparate back into the shop. "When are you back?" she asked Lauren.

"Thursday evening," Lauren said. "Ready for pizza night! I'll let Molly know to spread the news before then and save me the trouble of announcing it!"

"Well, we'll see you then!" Fred saluted as Hermione smiled. "Can we book your services for pizza collection again?"

"Of course," Lauren smiled.

"Cheers! Enjoy!" Fred winked.

Because the apparition cupboard was so small, it was safer for one person to take charge when two people apparated together, so Fred had swung Hermione off her feet for the short journey, making her giggle when they landed.

"You're still as lovely as the day I married you, Hermione Granger-Weasley" he said, leaning down to kiss her neck upon landing. As he pressed into her and she responded, it became clear to Hermione that Fred was just as turned on as she was at the memory of the previous evening. They began to kiss and touch each other, both wondering if they could bring each other off in the confined space before George realised that they had returned.

"No you bloody can't," a familiar voice said from outside the cupboard. "Because I still don't know what the deal with Elliot is! I'm opening the door, decent or not!"

The door opened as promised, and George stood outside, laughing at their pink faces. "I don't want to know about that," he said, offering a hand to help Hermione step out of the box, "but I DO want to know about my nephew. Is he OK?"

"More than OK," said Fred. "Turns out he's got some sort of dragon spirit guide. Seems the dragons decided they needed a back-up plan in case Wonder Boy didn't see Voldy off, so they picked a dragon-friendly wizard and a fabulous muggle woman and gave their baby his own dragon wisdom. Hence the eloquence and spell-mimicking and apparition prediction."

"I don't know what to say," George said, his mouth open. "That's crazy!"

"It is a bit," said Hermione, "but then a lot of what goes on in the wizarding world seems crazy to those who are new to it. What interests me, and proves that point," she said, looking back at Fred before turning back to George, "is that Lauren didn't react any more strongly to that than she did to me telling her about our world to begin with." She shrugged. "She agreed with Mum that we all needed a cup of tea and then just started asking Newt and Minerva questions."

"Newt? As in Fantastic Beasts book Newt from Hagrid's class?" George was excited to hear that.

"The very same," Fred said. "Minnie pulled him in when her research led her to that line of thought, and they explained it all to Lauren and Charlie together."

"What about Charlie? He must be stoked!"

"Yeah, you could say that," Hermione laughed. "At least they have some time together to get used to the idea. Sounds like they'll still be spending some time in Romania with this new revelation, but we'll see. Early days. I might ring her later and see how she's doing."

"Far out," George said. "And I only sent you over there for a bit of cake! Did you bring me any?"

Fred grinned, holding up half a coconut cake which Molly had sent back with him. It was left over from the day before, but she couldn't have a child leave The Burrow empty handed. At that very moment, she was checking the tins for buns that Charlie and Lauren could take to share with Piotr.

"Yes!" George punched the air in happiness before divesting Fred of his foil-covered parcel and leading them in a brisk jog back to their office to he could sit down and fully enjoy his treat. "So … Elliot?"

"I just thought it was normal," said Fred, heading for his own desk and putting his feet up on it. "I never thought he was that unusual, apart from the apparition thing." He shrugged, thinking back to his own childhood. "Only Ron and Ginny came after us, of course, and we weren't that much older so I didn't really pay attention to when they talked and that kind of stuff."

"All children develop at different rates anyway," Hermione replied, with a half-shrug of her own. "I'd have even less clue, being an only child."

Slightly reluctantly, given the more exciting happenings at The Burrow, the three of them finished catching up and went back into the shop. But it didn't take them long to get back into the swing of things, and the rest of the day went quickly and, from a financial point of view, successfully.

It wasn't until they were sitting in the roof garden enjoying an after-work butterbeer that Hermione remembered that today was the day when the details of the plan for the school year were going to be released. "Hogwarts!" she exclaimed, making Fred and George look at her a bit oddly. She jumped to her feet, heading for the stairs. "The news of the plan for Hogwarts was going to be in The Prophet today!"


	76. The Hogwarts Plan

Hermione ran down to the shop, found Oswald, located the newspaper and gave him a double portion of owl treats in her haste to get back up to the roof. Reading as she went, she almost missed a step and then forced herself to slow down, not wanting a repeat of the incident at The Burrow. When she reached the roof again, Fred and George were waiting at either end of the longest sofa, having cleared a space for her so that they could all read together. She sat between them, crossing her legs and spreading the paper out on her lap.

The front page showed two pictures which made their hearts sing. One was of Minerva McGonagall surrounded by professors and casting the final spell that brought the famed Hogwarts bridge back to its former glory. The look on her face was somehow simultaneously determined, triumphant and heart-warming. The teachers had undertaken many of the repairs to the school themselves, feeling that to be useful therapy as well as the most practical and sensible solution. In the magical world, as Hermione had explained to Lauren at the weekend, building – and rebuilding – weren't exercises in brute strength and practicality, but concentration and careful wandwork. There had been a few occasions upon which Minerva had called in the expertise of others, and Fred and George were included in this number, as their knowledge of the Hogwarts secret passages was second to none, but mostly the staff and elves had accomplished the repair of the castle themselves.

They had even added a few improvements. The twins had been delighted to discover that the part of their portable swamp which Professor Flitwick had chosen to leave behind had been made a permanent addition and was now housing one of the memorials to those who had fallen in the war. Everlasting candles flickered on the wall above it, and a charm added by the diminutive professor sent random coloured beams of sparkling light shooting through the entire corridor by day and night. It was exactly the kind of effect that Fred and George would have created themselves, and they were touched by the tribute.

The second picture, not linked to a news story but simply illustrating a reminder of the importance of repopulating the wizarding world, was of Fred and Hermione themselves.

"Looking good there, lovebirds," George teased, pointing to the picture of the two of them sharing a smile and then a soft, loving kiss. It had been taken on the Friday, when they had stood on the podium waiting for Kingsley's speech. Hermione hummed under her breath. That explained why she and Fred hadn't been asked to do more official photo shoots yet. Kingsley was getting enough shots of them from the photographers at The Prophet, who loved to take photos of their everyday life in Diagon Alley. Still she hoped that the interest in them would die down a bit after the summer. It was one thing to help prevent the new law, but quite another to have to be constantly vigilant in public about what one was saying and doing.

"It all sounds very … flexible," Fred said, having searched for a moment for the right word after reading a few paragraphs. "Anyone who was unable to complete their studies because of the rise and fall of Voldemort will be offered the chance to do so in one of three ways."

"Hmmmm," agreed Hermione.

"I guess that means us too," George joked, and Fred grinned.

"I guess it does," he said. "We did consider that we had outgrown full-time education," he winked. "But," he leaned down to nuzzle Hermione's ear, "if you don't want to have to be married to a dropout, then maybe there'll be a way for us too?"

Hermione looked up at him, not able to tell whether he was serious or not, either from his face or from feeling his emotions through the bond. She surmised, correctly, that Fred wasn't sure how he felt about this himself.

She turned back to the paper. "Any student who wishes to return to Hogwarts and resume their full-time studies will be welcomed back in September," she read, picking out and reading the key sentences in full and paraphrasing others. "For the coming academic year, a flexible programme will be employed which will enable students to repeat any classes that they missed or which were disrupted alongside their current year's work without falling back a year. Professors are working hard to ensure that this is done in a way that will not put undue pressure on students' workload. All of us at Hogwarts understand that many are suffering from the aftereffects of what has happened."

"Good," said George. Hermione reached an arm around him and pulled him closer to her side.

"It sounds like they're planning to use the need for flexibility in that first year to do away with some of the structures that were problematic," she said. "They're going to welcome transfer students from other magical schools and the house system will not be in operation."

"This is actually rather clever," said Fred, reading another section himself. "Students who were enrolled in school at the time of the Battle of Hogwarts will have first refusal on their old dormitory and bed, but we will welcome requests for students who wish to move dormitories, especially if they wish to move to a dormitory that once belonged to a different house."

"Luna and Ginny will like that," Hermione said. Fred and George exchanged a look.

"Not sure they will," Fred said. "Saw Ron and Ginny exchanging words in the Alley this afternoon. They didn't look too pleased with each other. I wasn't sure what it was about; had forgotten about Auntie Minnie's announcement, but now I've read it … I'd put money on it being something to do with this."

"Auntie Minnie?!" George's laugh made Hermione jump.

Fred laughed. "Told Elliot he could call her that til he goes to school, she did."

"Bloody marvellous," said George, his mind – and Fred's – already calculating the ways in which they could use this to lovingly tease their favourite teacher.

"Indeed," Fred's grin was just as wide as his brother's.

"That is a point, though," said Hermione, smiling to see their joy but also still engaged with reading the news. "They won't want to stay there full time and be subject to school rules and curfews again, not after everything that's happened and with being nearly engaged and all…"

"Auntie Minnie's ahead of you, love," George said, pointing her to another bit on the page. "That's the second option. Students who are of age and who wish to complete their studies but live elsewhere will be able to attend as day students. Secure floo access will be made available, or students can walk in from Hogsmeade. This option will also apply to any student who is not yet of age but has their parents' permission to live off site. A small number of alternative on-site accommodation options are also being made available for older and/or married students."

"Do you think that was written in for Gin?" Fred asked; a soft laugh under his breath.

"And Luna and those like her," Hermione said. "And, I guess, families who are still recovering and not wanting to be separated. I'm glad they chose that, but who does that leave? Why is there a third option?"

"Reckon that's the one for you lot," George said. "You, Harry, Ron, Neville, all of you who fought and who either learned on the run or were only weeks from graduating." He read further. "Says here that a number of NEWT testing weekends will be held throughout the year, and any affected student who completed the whole of their sixth year and feels that they have continued to learn by extracurricular means is welcome to attend, as a guest of the school."

"Students," Hermione read the next part slowly and with interest, using her finger to keep her place as this was the bit that would most affect her, "will be able to choose from sitting the standard written and practical NEWT exams in any subjects of their choosing…"

"That'll be you then, love," Fred said.

"Or," she continued, with just a flicker of a smile at his words, "may request to be assessed on an individualised basis to determine whether extracurricular experience has enabled them to reach the required standard in any NEWT subject." She looked at Fred, a gleam of excitement in her eye.

"I love you so much," he said, squeezing her to his side. "You're the only person I know who can get excited about exams!"

"Where this occurs," Hermione continued, "a student will be awarded the relevant NEWT(s). We will consider evidence on an individual basis and any student requesting equivalency assessment must satisfy two current professors that they have met the required standard. Additional learning and/or testing may need to be undertaken. Students opting for this path are welcome to attend seventh year classes at Hogwarts on an ad hoc basis, and tutorial evenings will be held once a week at which professors will be happy to offer help and advice."

"Well, blow me down," said George.

"Indeed," Fred added.

"Shall we?" George looked at his twin.

"Make Mum's decade?"

Hermione's eyes lit up again. "Of course! That applies to you two as well!" she exclaimed. "You could offer products as evidence!" she added, and then looked doubly excited when she realised something else. "I'm certain Professor Flitwick would give you a charms NEWT just for the swamp! And you would both absolutely get a NEWT in potions if you took products along! How amazing would that be, after everything we went through with Snape!"

"Actually," said George, "he wasn't that bad to us."

"Purebloods, remember," Fred said softly, pulling an apologetic face before squeezing Hermione to him again. "And potions was one subject that we liked and paid attention to."

"Ron's a pureblood too, though, and Snape was awful to him." She frowned, trying to work it out.

"Ron's crap at potions, though, isn't he? Blood status wouldn't have made up for being a fool in Snape's world," George said with a wry smile. "Or being Harry's mate."

Hermione supposed not. And Snape hadn't been as awful to her as everyone thought. Yes, he gave her a hard time in class, but he had tutored her in ways that no-one else realised. Perhaps reminded of another clever, muggle born witch, he had always seemed to write more on her essays than on anyone else's. Little suggestions and tips shared in purple and green ink; veiled in his trademark sarcasm but nonetheless imparting words of wisdom which Hermione would treasure forever.

"What do you think you'll do?" Fred asked Hermione.

She took a deep breath and sighed, putting a hand on each of their knees and using them as leverage while she moved her legs into a more comfortable position on the sofa.

"Alright there, Madam Granger-Weasley?" George teased, before she could answer Fred's question. "Would you prefer me as a pillow? Here…" Ignoring her laughing protests, he took her legs into his arms and draped them over his own, scooting her around so that her top half lay across Fred's lap.

"Comfy?" Fred asked, looking down at her with a matching grin of his own.

"Actually, this is rather nice," said Hermione, taking hold of one of George's hands as she stroked Fred's chest.

"Oh no!" Angelina's laugh was loud as she appeared at the entrance to the roof. "Have you gone and decided to form a triad in my absence? Damn; I knew I should have flooed over earlier rather than testing Dad's new dessert!"

"We have not; he's still all yours," Hermione joked back, lifting her legs so that George could get up and kiss Angelina before leading her to the opposite sofa. She smiled to feel the sense of peace that emanated from George whenever his girlfriend was around and then caught Fred's eye, knowing he could feel it even more strongly. It had been lovely to be able to help George with the family bond spell the previous day, but he and Ange shared a different kind of love. Hermione hoped that, now the quidditch season had ended and Angelina had a break from her sporting obligations, they would be able to spend more time together.

"My lovely wife was just about to tell us what she thinks about the Hogwarts plan, and whether she'll take Minnie up on any of her offers," Fred told Angelina, watching as Angelina placed a container onto the table, hoping that it was more portions of pudding. Then he smiled. "Of course, you're the only one of us with any NEWTS, so we may need your superior wisdom," he winked.

"You know they already offered Ron, Harry and I the equivalent of five NEWTs each?" Hermione said. "So we could become aurors or join any department in the Ministry without having to go back to school…"

"Are they actual NEWTs you've got?" George said.

Hermione shook her head. "No, which is why I'd quite like to get a few, if it fits in with everything." She looked at Fred.

"We'll make it all fit, if it's what you'd like," he reassured her. "I know it's important to you, love. You go into the classes bit if you like, or take the weekend testing option. I'm sure you'd be great at either. Unless," he leaned closer, "you want to go back and do another proper school year? I could fly my broomstick up to your window and kiss you goodnight every evening if you do…"

Hermione's grip on him tightened. "Don't even joke about that, Fred! I couldn't imagine being away from you every night!"

"Good." He applied a soft kiss to her lips and then, realising that George and Angelina had settled in for a long make-out session on their sofa, shifted his own body and then Hermione's so they were laying side-by-side. Within seconds, Hermione had stopped thinking about which NEWTs she would need to study for and which she thought she could gain in exchange for evidence of existing achievement. Instead, she cleared her mind of everything except for snogging her husband until they were both pulled from their passion by the loud rumbling of his stomach.

"Bloody hell, was that you?" George's voice was muffled, as if his face was buried in Angelina's hair. Which it was. He had been busily kissing her neck and was lost in her dark curls.

"Yeah. I guess someone ought to look in the fridge and make a dinner plan," Fred sighed. He would rather stay laying down and continue kissing Hermione, but he was hungry.

"I'll go," Hermione said. "I need the loo anyway." She pushed herself into a sitting position, giving Fred one last peck on the lips on her way.

"I may as well come with you," Fred said, his thumb indicating the still-snogging pair on the opposite sofa. "I'll only be a third wheel with the lovebirds here. You two just keep kissing," he said, in a louder and long-suffering voice which made Hermione laugh. "We'll bring you something to help sustain your energy!"

As they headed across the roof garden, they heard a muffled giggle from Angelina. George simply moved his hand temporarily from her back and made a thumbs up sign in their vague direction, causing Fred to laugh again and shake his head. He was, despite appearances, still thrilled to see – and feel – his twin back to near-normal levels of happiness again.

The fridge held a motley selection of leftovers. Molly had insisted that they bring a parcel back from The Burrow the previous day, especially as Fred and George had funded the food, but there were also a few containers and boxes of other food from the previous few days. Hermione turned her nose up at the three-day old pizza, but Fred wouldn't hear of it being throw out. He grabbed a large tray and began to empty the contents of the fridge onto it.

"We'll sort it up there," he said, adding four plates, cutlery and a few serving spoons. "Can you bring the butterbeers when you come?" he asked, nodding in the direction of a fresh box of their favourite drinks.

By the time Hermione returned to the roof, Fred and George were arranging everything onto the low table that sat between their sofas. "You might want to sit this end, love," Angelina said to Hermione, who did as the older witch suggested, making Fred swap seats with her. When Hermione surveyed the food, she could see why. The twins had put the leftover pizza and garlic bread at one end of the table and all of Hermione's favourite foods - the salads and Molly's cold chicken – at the other.

"I don't know how you can enjoy that cold," Hermione smiled at them. "It hasn't ever appealed to me."

George looked horrified. "Cold?" he said. "Oh no!" He took his wand in one hand and, in the other, lifted a plate containing two slices of pepperoni pizza and a big chunk of garlic bread. Within seconds, the food was piping hot and sizzling.

"I need to learn more spells like that," Hermione sighed. She looked at Angelina. "The disadvantage of growing up in a muggle family is that you miss out on all of this stuff," she nodded her head towards George. "Presumably you learned that at home, not at school."

He nodded, mouth full of pizza. "Molly Weasley special," he told her, once he had chewed and swallowed.

"I could teach you some, love," Fred offered.

"I'd really like that. I've picked up a few from watching your mum," Hermione said, "but for the most part, my knowledge of household spells is limited to what Lavender and Parvati taught me in the dorm. And they," she sighed, "tended to focus on clothes and hair, not the really useful things in life, like food and laundry and cooking."

"You'll get there," said Fred.

"You could spend some time with my Dad as well, if you like," Angelina offered. "I'm sure he'd be happy to teach you a few things. He sent dessert, by the way." Angelina indicated the package that she had brought before Hermione could even answer. "Which reminds me…" She looked between Fred and George. "Would it be OK if I invited him for pizza night this week? He loves to try new foods and I don't know where else he would get to taste muggle pizza."

"Of course," said Fred. "The more the merrier! And I was thinking..." That was Fred.

"Always a dangerous thing," George quipped.

Fred smiled again. He wasn't going to get tired of the newly refreshed George in a hurry. He hoped that the two of them were planning to spend the night at the flat. Perhaps even a few days.

"Will you two be staying here this week?" he asked. "Because we need some food, and maybe it's worth making a bit of a plan?"

"Oh Fred," Hermione sighed, catching Angelina's eye as she rested her head on his shoulder. "It's so sexy when you take responsibility and make shopping lists."

Angelina grinned back. "Don't buy too much," she said. "I was sort of hoping to cook for Georgie and I at mine tomorrow," she said, looking at George. "Are you OK with that?"

George was more than OK with that. He knew exactly what that look meant.

"And you only need evening meals tomorrow and Thursday anyway," Angelina pointed out to Fred.

"Oh yes," Fred said, thinking it through. "Date night Wednesday, pizza night Friday and then you lovebirds are off for your dirty weekend at the cove." He turned to Hermione. "I wonder what we should do while the mice are away?"

"Cats," Hermione corrected. "When the cats are away, the mice will play."

"So we're the mice?" he asked, frowning slightly.

"If you want to use that analogy, yes."

"You'll need to be here for the shop, won't you?" Angelina looked a bit worried, making Hermione and Fred realise how much she wanted George to be able to take some time off and not be on call for business-related stuff.

"Of course we will," Fred reassured her, although he secretly thought that, now the additional staff were in place, it wouldn't be a big deal for them both to be away at the same time. He had been daydreaming about the idea that the four of them could go on holiday together now and again in the future. But he could give them this weekend. "We will spell-o-tape ourselves to the shop for the weekend and make sure everything's lovely so that you two can relax and enjoy the cove."

"It is amazing," Hermione's voice was a whisper as she remembered her honeymoon. Seeing her face, Fred vowed to ask Phil if they could book another weekend in before the weather got too cold. He would love them to spend a couple more nights under the stars in the bed in which he and Hermione had sealed their bond.

"How about," he said, "if I pop to the supermarket tomorrow and get some meat to grill and a load of salads?" he asked. "That should last us a couple of nights, and it'll be nice to sit outside while the weather's good."

Hermione nodded her agreement. That sounded like her favourite kind of food, and a nice antidote to all the takeaways and to Molly's lovely but often heavier dinners.

"I'll go, though," Angelina offered. Fred looked up at her, and she smiled and shrugged. "I'm a free agent now, Freddie. I'm going to volunteer myself for part-time errand duty this week," she announced. "I want to spend some time with my Dad, and catch up with a couple of friends, but I'll be glad to do shopping and help out where I can. I don't want to think beyond this week, because it's too lovely to be able to call my time my own again, but the offer's there if you want it."

"That would be great, love," George said.

"I'll get your food shopping," Angelina promised, looking at Hermione before turning to Fred. "But don't wait up for us tomorrow. We'll see you two Wednesday for date night," she winked. "In the meantime," she said, still looking at Fred as she slid her hand over George's thigh, "I've got plans for your twin that do not include children's bedtime stories…"

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Some fifteen hundred miles away, Charlie and Lauren had enjoyed a friendly dinner at the reserve's canteen before retiring – amidst a small amount of teasing from his fellow dragon keepers – to Charlie's cabin. Their conversation was easy and relaxed. After arriving back by portkey, they had filled Henry in on what had happened at The Burrow. He had, unsurprisingly, been amazed, awed and so delighted to hear about Elliot and Inardoe that he had been willing to offer almost anything to have the little family continue to be a part of his work.

"Don't you dare go and work with another reserve," he warned Charlie with a laugh. "If you get another offer, promise me you'll come and tell me about it so I can beat it!"

Charlie smiled. "I don't have any interest in going elsewhere," he reassured the older man. "I like it too much here. If you let me keep my cabin and my ticket to the reserve parties, I'm yours for as long as you want me. Only part-time, though; I've got a family I want to spend time with as well."

Henry nodded thoughtfully. "I'll get whatever funding you both want. You're a researcher in your own world, right?" he asked Lauren, who nodded thoughtfully.

"Yes," she said, "but I don't exactly have any experience with dragons…"

Henry tipped his head to one side and raised his eyebrows. "My wife Meg is muggle-born, and her brother's an archaeologist. So I know perfectly well that you muggle academics are significantly better at research than we magical folk. And that the skills you use can be used on fields outside of your own. Charlie here is one of the best subject experts we have, and there are plenty more of us to answer your questions. Newt would love to work with you, and Minerva sent word that she'll gladly give you access to Hogwarts and its library, if it would be helpful."

Lauren couldn't help but feel excited at the option that Henry was outlining, and it showed on the growing smile on her face. Charlie laughed softly as her eyes caught his and danced with excitement at the possibilities.

"It's about time we started pooling the knowledge and skills of our worlds," Henry continued, "even if for now it's just on an academic level and among a few trusted people. We've got to start somewhere. So I'm going to offer to build you an office here and get some funding so you can have a budget for research. I know you don't want to live or work here full-time, so you just come and go as you like. We'll keep your cabin warm and I'll pay each of you senior dragon keeper rates for however many hours you both want to work each month. Here or there," he added, "if you want to work in home in England too. Couldn't blame you for that in the winter," he joked. "And if it's appropriate for Elliot to help us, I'll create a trust account at Gringotts and we'll pay for his time too. That's only fair."

"What will you expect me to produce?" Lauren asked.

Henry looked a little confused. "What do you mean?"

"In my current job," she explained, "I'm expected to teach students, to produce research papers for publication. Some academics write books … what are you looking for in terms of output?"

"There isn't a Dragon Keepers' Weekly for you to write in, love," Charlie said, remembering snippets of a conversation that they had had some three years ago.

"That's an excellent question," Henry said, "and I don't know the answer. So I guess it's up to you. I trust that you'll find the best way of sharing what you find out." He stared into space for a moment, his imagination firing. "You could come and chat to us all and tell us what you're learning. Or write books for future dragon keepers and maybe other witches and wizards. Maybe, one day, we could hold a conference here, even." His eyes were shining with possibility and hope.

"That sounds great," said Lauren. "I'd love to."

"Will you keep your job at the University?" Charlie asked her when they lay in bed that evening. She had opted to sleep in his room that night. It had been lovely to sleep under the stars on their first night, but she also wanted the experience of sleeping in the room in which Charlie had spend so much of his time. For Charlie, it was rather poignant to be laying with Lauren in the bed in which he had shed so many tears over her departure and the realisation that he might never see her again. He was feeling a little teary again, but in a different way.

"I don't think so, as long as you're OK with that," she said. "It's a different world, Charlie, and I've not been there long enough to form close ties that I'd miss. Not like the ones I'm forming with your family, anyway. It feels like it would be easier to make a clean break and not have to constantly monitor what I'm saying, you know?"

Charlie nodded into her shoulder. He did know.

"I'll still have my sister and her family and all my Uni friends," she said, "and it's a bit easier, in a way, with them. They live further away so somehow it's more … manageable, I suppose. It's hard to explain."

"No, I know what you mean," Charlie said. "It's hard to keep up with what you're saying on an everyday basis, but easier when you just see people now and again. We'll make sure we have a house in England that's muggle-friendly for when you want your friends to visit, draga mea," he promised. "Well," he added quickly, "not that I'm assuming we'll move from your current house … I didn't mean that."

Lauren patted his chest reassuringly and sighed. "I'm so torn about that," she said. "Elliot was born in the living room, and I know it's silly, but our family cat is buried in the garden. And we transplanted a couple of fruit trees from my Mum and Dad's garden…" she trailed off. "Though I supposed they could be moved again. I really want to move closer to your mum and dad; that would make life so much easier, what with the transport and everything, but I don't know if I'm ready to leave my cottage. I love my kitchen so much," she smiled.

"It's OK," said Charlie, snuggling closer to her, ready to administer whatever kind of love she needed in the moment. "We've got enough to think about without adding that in right now. There's no rush to make any more decisions," he promised.

"Mmmmmm," Lauren nodded, shifting her body and wrapping her own arms around Charlie. But, just as she was about to lean in for a kiss, a rustling at the cabin window made her heart skip a beat. "What's that?" she asked, worriedly. Charlie's bedroom window overlooked a dragon-occupied mountain range and the only way of accessing it was from his balcony, which she had thought was deserted.

"Owl, love," he said, stroking her hair. "Don't worry." He hopped out of bed, swiftly unclipping the window, swapping the letter for an owl treat and then jumping back into bed before Lauren could even really register what was happening.

Back in England, four more owls landed almost simultaneously in Devon, Cornwall and London. And four of the witches who belonged to the extended Weasley family opened letters which made each of their hearts skip a beat as well.


	77. Weaving Weasley Webs

Tuesday morning saw the Weasley twins and their favourite witches sharing breakfast in the flat's kitchen, with a surprisingly chipper George leading the conversation.

"He hasn't even finished his coffee," Fred murmured into Hermione's ear. "He must have had a really good night!" He winked at Angelina, who simply laughed in response.

"I did, actually, you nosey git," George replied. "Though not just in the way you think! You filthy pair!" He mimicked his brother's gesture, winking at Hermione. "Since that spell of Bill's, I've now had two amazing nights of sleep. Bloody marvellous." He stretched his legs arms out over his head, his long body almost causing him to overbalance on the chair.

"I'm so glad, lovely," Angelina said, squeezing his leg beneath the table. She had been worried about him, though also unable to control the amount of time she could spend with him until now, thanks to her quidditch responsibilities.

"Me too," Hermione said, patting George on the arm. "I've been worried about you," she added.

"You worry about everyone, love," Fred remarked. He raised his eyebrows. "Except yourself…"

Hermione nodded and looked back down at her cereal, pretending she was focused on that. It was true, but she didn't want to get into it with him right now. She had woken with a weird feeling, and she couldn't put her finger on what it was. The closest she could get was to say that it was a sense that significant things were happening behind the scenes and just out of her view. These weren't sinister things, as had been happening over the past few years. They were family things; interpersonal things. Things between friends that she wasn't quite seeing and wasn't sure about the implications of. She looked back up at Fred and smiled. He was right; she didn't need to worry about it. It was more important to think about what she was doing. Then a thought struck her.

"I might go and have a cup of tea with your mum again later today," she said.

"That's a great idea," Fred replied. "You can ask her how she's been getting on with her new potion and let us know if it needs modifying."

Half an hour later, the four of them went downstairs and opened the shop. And, when George came back into the office after taking a finger count from old and new staff at ten a.m., he declared it to be 'just the right level of busy'. Charlie's play area was still popular, but Headmistress McGonagall's announcements seemed to have encouraged some of the families with Hogwarts-age children to go to Hogsmeade, where Professors Flitwick and Sprout had apparently converted the station waiting room into a registration area. Prospective and new students could come and gather more information, register their intentions and, in some cases, put their name on accommodation. That had eased the foot traffic in Diagon Alley, but it was still looking like George and Fred would have record takings at the end of the week. And the addition of new staff freed them up to focus on adding to their product lines. With Hermione's help, they were thinking about a 'back to school' display and doing a bit of forward planning for the autumn and winter festivals.

Rather than taking her morning tea break in the staff room, Hermione took herself up the spiral stairs in the middle of the shop. She leaned over the balcony, mug between her hands, and gazed down at the happenings below; using the solitude to gather her thoughts.

A flash of red hair below caught her eye, and she smiled to see George catch Angelina in his arms as she passed him. He danced her around a couple of aisles before letting her go on her way. Hermione smiled at the idea of the two of them being able to spend more time together again. Over breakfast, Angelina had cheerfully shared her plans to join the 'encourage love' campaign, declaring that she would seek opportunities to promote the need for partnerships and babies as she collected supplies, delivered special orders and generally made her way around the wizarding world that week. As a natural people person, she was a fabulous ambassador; not just for the shop, but also for Kingsley's plan. Spending a bit of time at her Dad's restaurant, she had explained, also gave her the opportunity to encourage support amongst people that they might not otherwise have bumped into.

Verity was the next person to move into Hermione's line of vision, and her thoughts turned to that potential couple instead. Hermione was highly observant, albeit in a different way from Fred, and she had spotted Verity and Lee exchanging glances which implied that something more might have passed between them since the weekend. Or perhaps something was about to happen. Maybe, Hermione thought, this was the source of her odd feeling. But, with a smile, she reminded herself again that there was nothing to worry about and that she should stop trying to figure out everything and concentrate on building her own life.

Hermione trotted back down the staircase, stopping halfway to avoid a flying toy car that was making its way around the shop; well above customers' heads but perilously close if you were a staff member negotiating the stairs. She raised her eyebrows when she reached Lee, but all she received in return was a wide grin and an, "all good, love," into her ear. Hermione stopped, intending to ask a bit more about his plans to woo Verity, but she immediately felt a friendly arm around her shoulder and turned to see that Angelina had also arrived on the scene. The older witch was checking whether anyone needed anything else before she went out shopping. Hermione shook her head with a smile but, when Lee realised he needed some till supplies and Angelina went with him to get the details, it didn't really seem appropriate for Hermione to follow.

But, Hermione remarked to Fred when she went back into their office a few minutes later, it was clear that it still wasn't as straightforward as Lee might have liked.

"It's not like you to be nosey," Fred said. "Curious, yes, but not nosey…"

"I know," Hermione replied, sitting down at her desk and flicking her wand at her 'window' to change the picture to a beach scene, which she hoped would make her feel better. "I just have this weird sense that something is going on that we're not quite seeing."

"Something sinister?" Fred asked, getting up from his desk and moving towards Hermione.

She shook her head firmly. "No, not sinister at all. More like…" she paused, trying to get her thoughts into order so that she could explain them to Fred. "It's like the pieces of a puzzle are there, but I can't put them together."

"You sure it's not just the sense of being part of a big family?" he asked, kneeling on the floor beside her chair and putting his hands on her legs.

"It might be," Hermione shrugged. "I've not experienced that other than with your family, and this is the first time I've had the sense that we're heading for a quieter time since … well, since ever, really! Do you know, with George and Ange away, we don't have anything on this weekend other than Sunday lunch at your mum's!"

"Crikey," said Fred. "What on earth will we do?!"

"I could think of some things," Hermione said, leaning forward to kiss him. Fred reached his hands around her waist and cupped her bottom.

"Fuck sake, is that all you two do?" Ginny's voice came from the doorway and Fred laughed and groaned simultaneously.

"We don't do it nearly as much as we might, Gin, thanks to the large number of Weasleys who interrupt us!"

"Hmmm. I've come to see if your wife wants to come with me to register at Hogwarts," Ginny said.

Hermione looked at Fred. They had all talked briefly about NEWTS the previous evening, but nothing had been decided for sure, and Hermione could sense that Fred didn't want Ginny to know that he and George were considering whether they might take their NEWTs. They had discussed it a bit more after dinner and had decided that they would look into the details and consider the implications for the shop before making any decisions or announcements.

"I'm going to give it a few days, Gin," Hermione said. "Let others go first." She shrugged. "I'll take the weekend option if I do go back, so I'll not need accommodation."

Ginny made a noise that Fred thought sounded very like one of Oliver Wood's exclamations when he disagreed with something someone said about quidditch. "Alright then," she said. "I'll go alone."

Hermione looked at her friend, sensing that things weren't all well with Ginny. "Do you have time for a cup of tea first?" she asked.

"Yes, I do, if it can be hot chocolate," Ginny replied. "I need fortification against Ron's dickwaddery," she declared, settling herself into Fred's chair and using her wand to lower the seat and move some of the papers on his desk so she could be more comfortable.

"Make yourself at home, Gin," her brother said with a smile.

"I will, thanks," she retorted, pulling her hair out of its tie and shaking her head before redoing her ponytail.

Fred's long experience in Ginny's emotional states led him to quickly and quietly make a round of hot chocolate and top Ginny's with additional whipped cream, which seemed to calm her a bit. He then left them, leaving Hermione to listen and soothe. Only when Ginny had left, looking a bit happier, did he go back into the office to find out what was happening from Hermione, who was now trying to arrange her paperwork and sort her priorities for the week.

"I really hope they're not going to try and make me pick sides," she sighed.

"Why, what's happening?" Fred asked.

"Ginny has been asked to be Head Girl," Hermione replied. "McGonagall sent her an owl yesterday, but the caveat is that she would need to live on site. She'd be allowed to live in one of the cottages they're building on the safe side of the forbidden forest as married quarters, and Harry could stay there too, but she couldn't take the Head Girl position if she was a day student."

"Seems fair," Fred shrugged. "Stability for the younger students and all that. Not to mention being around in the evenings, when people are likely to want to chat to her."

"Indeed," Hermione said. "But Ron," she sighed, "doesn't like it."

Fred's brow furrowed. "What's it got to do with Ron?" he asked, a bit confused.

"If you ask Ginny, then bugger all," Hermione said, "but I find it easier to see it from Ron's perspective."

"Oh yes?"

She looked wistful as she began to explain. "He and Harry and I were together all the way through school and on the run. It was the three of us. Well mostly," she added, thinking of the time when Ron had left them, "and just the three of us. And then all of a sudden I married you and then it was just the two of them."

Hermione paused, looking thoughtful. It really had been a rollercoaster of a journey. "Ron seemed to cope well with that," she said, "especially when he and Harry became auror training partners." She ran her index finger around the ring of chocolatey cream left in her mug and licked it off while pondering her next thought. "But according to Ginny, Ron wouldn't be allowed to live on the grounds unless he was engaged or married to a current student. And we know he's not ready for that." Hermione sighed.

"No," Fred agreed softly. And, they knew, it wouldn't be fair on Luna or whichever witch he married. As Hermione had put it a few days prior, Ron needed to journey a bit longer by himself and get a few things out of his system before he would travel well with someone else.

"So I imagine he's feeling really sad that everyone is moving on, and a bit resentful that Ginny is trying to take Harry away to Hogwarts," she continued, "but he doesn't have the emotional intelligence to be able to understand his own feelings, let alone sort through them."

"Wow," said Fred, who loved watching Hermione's brain work and was still in awe of her ability to analyse situations.

"Plus, they're living at Grimmauld Place, and Ron might also be worried that he'll have to move out and back to The Burrow…"

"Oh Gods, yeah," said Fred. He could well understand that fear. He and George had been worried about the same thing during the first few months of opening their shop. It wasn't that he didn't dearly love his childhood home. In fact, he was already looking forward to a big family Christmas there. He was even harbouring a fantasy about the four of them staying in his and George's old room on Christmas eve, if they could Molly to see past the fact that George and Angelina weren't married. But once a wizard had taken leave of his parents' home, it wouldn't feel good to need to go back there except for occasional visits.

"Yes," Hermione sighed. "And I really don't want to have to take sides, because I can see both perspectives and I understand how they each feel."

"You won't need to, love," Fred assured her. "Georgie and I never do. And those two are always the most likely of all of us to spat, but it never lasts more than a day or two. Mum or Dad'll step in if it does."

"You don't think Ginny will be mad if I talk to Ron?" Hermione asked. "Because I feel really sad for him. I know what it's like to feel isolated."

"Course not," said Fred. Then he paused for a moment. "Offer him our sofa if you like." He shrugged. "I doubt he'll take it, but at least he'll know he has somewhere else he can go." He looked away for a bit. "It's a bit ironic, really. Of all of us, he's the one who would probably benefit the most from staying with Mum and Dad for a bit longer. Seeing as you all buggered off in your last year and everything."

"He's always the first there for meals, you know." Hermione spoke quietly, and Fred nodded.

"Owl him, love. Ask him over for dinner this evening, or see if he wants to meet you for a drink or something." A smile spread slowly across Hermione's face. "What, love?" Fred asked, unable to suppress his own smile in response to seeing her look so happy.

"You, Mister Granger-Weasley," Hermione began, gently poking Fred in the chest, "are always going on about me being worried about everybody else, but you're just as bad!" She leaned down and kissed him, twining her fingertips into the hair at the nape of his neck, which she knew he loved. "It just adds to your charm…"

Oswald returned with Ron's reply within half an hour. It came in the form of a hastily-scrawled note which read, "I'd bloody LOVE dinner with you and F, will come straight from work."

"Good. I'll cook," Fred said simply. "Then you two can chat."

"Right," said Hermione, gathering her notes into a pile and reaching down for her bag. "I'm off to see your mum then."

As Hermione stepped into the cupboard in order to apparate to The Burrow, she smiled at how domestic Fred was. She would never have imagined it until she lived with him. But he – and George, in fact – never made assumptions that any of the cooking, cleaning or other housework was anyone else's responsibility, and she loved him for it. Her own father, as progressive as he was, wasn't that enlightened. A small ache settled in her heart as she sent a small prayer to the gods that she would be reunited with her parents soon. In the meantime, she reassured herself as she raised her wand and thought of The Burrow, she needed to focus on the gratitude she felt that Molly Weasley was there for her.

Except that Molly Weasley wasn't there. When Hermione stepped out of the floo, she found the house empty. She called out a couple of times, feeling a bit odd. She couldn't remember ever being the only person at The Burrow before, and she wasn't sure she liked it. Hermione stepped back into the floo. Molly, she thought, would have been equally reassuring that Hermione should not worry about the rift between Ron and Ginny. And she would have given her similar sage advice to Fred about being clear with each of them that, while she was very happy to listen to their side and validate their own feelings, she was not going to be drawn into criticisms of the other.

And Ron, Hermione noted, once the two of them had settled down on the sofa after they had both finished work that day, wasn't even going down that road. He was just fed up; one part sorry for himself at being abandoned, one part annoyed that he couldn't seem to get a break, and two parts concerned about what others would think of him.

"I feel like a Billy No-Mates, 'Mione … isn't that what you muggleborns call it when someone has no friends? Well, none that want to live with them, anyway. Everyone's coupling up, and I'm not ready for that yet, but I don't want to be left behind either. I thought we'd all have fun for a few more years before we all settled down…" He tipped his chin in a thank you at Fred as his brother entered from the kitchen and passed plates of food around.

Hermione made what she hoped was a reassuring face, urging him to continue. Privately, she had never expected Harry to stay single for long at all. He had had a lonely childhood, and the idea of marrying a special witch coupled with the added bonus of marrying into a family like the Weasleys was, she knew, just as appealing to him as it had been to her. If anything, she had assumed that she would be the eternally single one; the one most likely to live alone and be in the position that Ron was in now. Hermione would never have believed that, just weeks after the war ended, she would be happily married to one of the Weasley twins.

Ron made a grumbling sound and picked a bit of chicken out of his bowl as Hermione shared a private, loving look with her Weasley twin. The three of them were sat around the living room, eating chicken salad on their laps, thanks to a summer squall which had rendered the roof uninhabitable. Fred had offered to leave the two of them to chat, but Ron had told him to stay. His relationship with Fred was much better these days than it had once been and he was more open to hearing Fred's thoughts than he would have been when the two brothers were younger, and often at loggerheads.

"Don't go mad if I suggest this," Fred said, when it became clear that Ron had finished outlining the problem, "but Mum would be beyond happy if you moved back home. And," he held his hand, urging Ron to let him finish before interrupting, "yes, I get you might not want that, but what concerns you most about the idea? Help us understand what your priorities are?"

Ron stopped chewing while he thought about the question, and then resumed again. "I 'spose I'd feel like a sad git if I went back there," he said quietly.

"And," Hermione asked, having picked up where Fred was going with this, "is that because of how you feel, or because of what you think other people would say?"

"Other people, I suppose," Ron said. "I don't mind the idea of having Mum look after me a bit more while I focus on the training, but I don't want to have everyone taking the piss all the time."

A wide grin broke across Fred's face. "Well that bit's easy," he said.

Ron looked at him, surprised. "What do you mean?"

"You're Ronald Fucking Weasley," Fred said, leaning towards his brother. "You're not Ronnikins the Silly anymore. Fuck, even Georgie and I respect you now, you knobhead. You're on a bloody chocolate frog card!" Fred rolled his eyes and shook his head, but the look he gave his brother was full of love and understanding. "It sounds like you need to catch your confidence up with your status, little brother! If the only thing that's stopping you is what other people think," he continued, "then tell them to fuck off."

Hermione was nodding furiously in agreement, delighted that Fred was responding in this way. Ron could have used this kind of talk from him several years prior, but it was better late than never.

"Or, better still," Fred continued, "look at them as if they're stupid and say to them, 'well, here's the thing. My mum is the best cook in the wizarding world, and my dad is hilarious, and fantastic company. And everyone else has buggered off to get married and cook their own dinners, so why wouldn't I want to be the light of their life and enjoy the comforts of home with them for a few more years while I'm slogging away in the early years of my career?' Make them see that you see yourself as the winner here, not the loser." Fred paused to allow Ron to answer and, after watching his brother's mouth open and close for several seconds before the younger wizard sent his fork diving back into his potato salad, Fred leant down, picked up his bottle of butter beer and tipped it towards Ron in a toast. "You're welcome," he said softly.

"Bloody hell. That's actually brilliant," Ron said, when he finally found the words to express his feelings. He was clearly impressed at Fred's strategising. "Because I do like the idea of going back there, as long as Mum doesn't go on at me too much and isn't going to be funny if I want to stay out late and all that."

"Then negotiate that at the outset," said Hermione. "Sit down with them and spell out what you'd like and ask if it would be okay with them. Ask them what they'd need from you, and then see if it all adds up into something that could work."

Ron nodded. "I know Harry likes the idea of staying in one of the new school cottages," he said. "I can tell. He said something about getting a sense of closure as well as it being Ginny's turn to pick their path after being apart for so long." He pulled a face, making Hermione smile. Ron still wasn't really into the subtleties of emotion, though he was a good deal more aware than he used to be.

"Maybe you could talk to him about keeping Grimmauld going and all of you could stay there sometimes? In the holidays, maybe?" Fred suggested.

"Maybe," said Ron. "Though," he grinned, "I'm a wizard of habit. I rather like my own bed at The Burrow. Especially if it comes with one of Mum's breakfasts every day. And she and Elliot are baking all the time…" he trailed off, rubbing his stomach and making Fred laugh.

"It sounds like a done deal," he said.

Ron nodded. "It just hadn't all clicked until you said what you did. Thanks," he said to Fred, still unsure as to how he and the brother who had tormented him through childhood had such a different relationship now. He supposed that was what growing up did to you. And, perhaps, the result of said brother marrying one of your best friends. "One thing though," he said, pointing his fork and causing Fred to raise his eyebrows in anticipation. "I need you and 'Mione to help me make a list. You'll be much better at thinking about what I need to negotiate. Don't want to leave anything out and find I've got a bloody nine o'clock curfew on work nights or something!"

Fred laughed loudly.

"It'll be our pleasure," Hermione said, stretching her legs out and setting her empty bowl on the table. "I'll get my special quill!"

"I guess that's our answer to the Ron and Luna question," Hermione said to Fred as they were slipping into bed that evening.

"Yeah. Reckon Mum'll have enough weddings over the next year … though maybe we should have added 'no grief about getting a witch' on his negotiation list! I might owl him in the morning and suggest that!" Fred laughed loudly before turning to Hermione and scooping her into his arms for the night.

The next morning, another unasked question was answered when Ginny came running into their office at ten a.m. with her arms full. She went to Fred's desk first, and placed a large bar of Honeydukes' chocolate in front of him. Leaning forward, she gave him a wet kiss on the cheek, making him laugh, and then looked him in the eyes. "Thank you for talking to Ron," she said. "You've made my life so much easier."

Next, she crossed the room to Hermione's desk, upon which she deposited a box of sugar quills. "And thank you too for your list-making abilities, which have apparently helped seal the deal in his mind," she said, giving Hermione a slightly less sloppy kiss than Fred had received.

"And I know you were out and probably don't know what I'm even talking about because you were shagging with your twin bond closed," she told George, placing a coffee on his desk, "but this is for you, because it will make Fred and 'Mione's morning happier and, right now, they are my favourite siblings."

"Cheers," said George, lifting the takeaway cup to toast Ginny. He knew perfectly well what had happened; Fred had given him a quick run-down that morning, explaining everything to his twin so that George 'wouldn't accidentally cock the whole plan up by taking the piss out of Ron'. But George was happy to pretend he didn't know the details. Like Fred, he preferred to stay out of the Ron and Ginny battles where possible.

Nobody heard from Ron for the rest of the day, which they took as a sign that all was well and assumed they would find out what had happened when they all got together next. Products were sold and added to the 'make more' list, Hermione got ahead on her timetable for the first half of Autumn and Fred and George got busy with skiving snackboxes and with confirming their plan to have another pizza night that Friday.

"We've been ringing around," Fred had announced when the three of them were finally back in their office at the same time early on Wednesday afternoon. Hermione smiled. He was clearly still delighted with their new phones and his expanding vocabulary of telephone-related slang. He had been particularly taken with 'dog and bone', the Cockney rhyming slang that Seamus had introduced him to when the two had briefly met in the Alley that morning.

"Checking that everyone is good for pizza night two point oh," said George, an equally large smile on his face at his new term, which he had also learned from Seamus. Their Irish friend and his partner had decided to create a company combining muggle and wizard technology, and the twins had already exchanged a few words with each other about the possibility of doing a deal with them that would see their phone and 'phonus' spell become widely available through the wizarding world.

But they needed to iron out a couple of glitches first, Fred explained. The biggest issue was the way in which an incoming call would simply override and end the current call that somebody was making. That had caused a lot of confusion on Monday, when Ginny had called The Burrow early, apparently – she explained to Hermione – so that she could have a moan to Molly about Ron's attitude to her desire to take the Head Girl post and live with Harry. Their call had been cut off when Fleur had called Molly. A confused Ginny called back, cutting off Fleur. A confused Fleur did the same, and Molly found herself shuttling between talking to the two witches for a good few minutes before she realised what was happening and asked Ginny to give her five minutes and let Molly be the one to call back.

When Lee interrupted their discussion of the phone glitch to tell them that Molly and Elliot had flooed into the store, Hermione's curiosity piqued again. It wasn't the fact that she was visiting, because she often turned up with a cake for the workers, and Elliot enjoyed outings and had been asking to visit the play area that his dad had made. It was the look of happiness on her face when she entered their shared office and the fact that, when George asked her what had made her so happy, she just took his face into her hands, planted a kiss on his cheek and told him they she was just happy that her family was all alive and well.

George Weasley had told enough lies in his life to recognise a big fat one when he heard it. He knew something was going on and, once Molly had collected Elliot again and left, he enlisted Fred and Hermione to try to find out. Hermione was summarily dispatched back to The Burrow on the pretext of taking Molly more of the freshly-made menopause potion. The twins were hoping that she might find out more over a private cup of tea with her mum-in-law, but she returned half an hour later none the wiser.

"I think you're imagining things," she said to George. Molly had picked up on Hermione's curiosity, administered cake and hugs with her nephew, and suggested that the young witch needed to rest and relax more.

"You've had so much on, dear," her mother-in-law had said. "Is it possible that you're more sensitive to things after your year on the run?"

Hermione thought there was a good bit of wisdom in this. "She's just happy to have Elliot staying with her while Charlie and Lauren are away, I think," she told George when she returned to the shop.

"I think you're not yet sufficiently trained in Weasley-twin level subterfuge and deep stealth investigation," George had replied, patting her shoulder with a cheeky wink, "but we'll see. More important that we make more date baskets before date night tonight, I suppose; we'll run out by Friday if not."

Molly's visit was a topic of discussion for a short time on their shared date night at Angelina's dad's restaurant on the Wednesday evening as well, but Angelina was keen for them to focus on sharing their strategies and successes in relation to promoting Kingsley's plan. She had, it turned out, made a point of visiting with both Fleur and Penelope, and she explained that this was because there was a need to spread the word and the encouragement as far as possible.

"Us lot are all interconnected," she said, waving her fork in the direction of the others before reaching back towards the centre of the table for some more pad thai. "But we need to get the word out as far as we can. Of course, with Percy being at the Ministry," she said, "he'll already be doing all he can. But Penelope…" Angelina raised her eyebrows. "She's a quiet one, but she has such a clever way of thinking about things. You know she's involved in several witches' groups? Well!" she exclaimed before they really had a chance to answer. Her happiness at having reached the summer recess seemed to have made her especially chatty, especially now that she was able to drink more than the odd glass of wine. "She's been all over the place, planting ideas and promoting the plan. She's a dark horse, that one. If and when Percy becomes the Minister, it'll be credit to her just as much as him, you know?"

Fred, George and Hermione nodded.

"And Fleur and Bill have all those financial and international connections," Angelina continued. "So I've been checking in with them too. Harry and Ron have the auror department covered, though Ron's a bit less enthusiastic than Harry, as you might imagine." She wrinkled her nose and finally paused, taking a sip of wine.

Fred jumped in. "Do we need to do more to work on him?" he asked. "We never did get that confidence potion off the ground. Or our boys' tips night."

George shrugged and wrinkled his nose, mouth full of food. He couldn't summon that much enthusiasm where Ron's love life was concerned, and he was inclined to let sleeping dogs lie now that the living arrangement situation seemed to have calmed.

"Yeah, you're right," said Fred, picking up George's thought. "Besides," he grinned, "I have pointed out that he's Ronald Fucking Weasley. If that doesn't help his confidence, I don't know what will!"

Hermione smiled, thinking about pizza night, and then she again realised, with a slight jolt, that the weekend ahead of them had nothing more exciting in it than Sunday lunch at The Burrow. A nice, boring, quiet weekend: that would be new. She would take her cross stitch to the roof and spend a few hours processing her thoughts in the sun.

What Hermione didn't know; what she couldn't have known, was that her suspicions were right. There was something happening behind the scenes. It would come out during pizza night two point oh, and it would ensure that the weekend would be anything but quiet.


	78. Pizza night two point oh

There was no reason, Fred and George had decided, to change anything about the way that pizza night had been arranged. Except maybe to order more of the pepperoni and meat feast pizzas and fewer of the plain ones. Lauren's advice to order plenty of the plainer ones and then encourage people to 'move up the heat index' the first time around had been good, but they suspected that several people would head straight into the spicy options this time.

Hoping that Lauren would help them with her car again, George had called her phone on Wednesday afternoon.

"Is that Charlie's view?" he had exclaimed. Lauren was sitting on Charlie's balcony, reading a book while Charlie attended the weekly keepers' meeting. She had turned her back to the mountains to keep the sun from shining in her eyes, which meant that George could see the view behind her in his mirror.

"It is," she said, smiling at him. Lauren sat up a bit, looping her legs over the side of the wooden lounger that Charlie had transfigured for her that morning, and moved the phone slowly across the horizon so that he could see the mountains. Then she flicked it quickly in another direction, showing George a large dragon that was flying across the horizon with food for its young.

"Bloody hell," George breathed. "I need to book a visit in myself."

"You really should," Lauren said, turning the phone around so that her own face showed in it again. She sat back down. "It's beautiful here. I can see why Charlie wants to keep a foot in this camp."

"Is that your plan?" he asked.

Lauren nodded. "Right now, we're thinking we'll have a base in England as well as Charlie's cabin, and move between the two. But it's early days, and we don't know much more than that." A smile crossed her face. "Apparently the winters are brassic here, though as you can see it's gorgeous in the summer."

"And you've met dragons?"

Lauren's eyes became less focused, and George laughed.

"I'll take that as a yes," he said, before she could answer.

"Have you?" she asked him.

"Kind of," he said. "Some came to our school once, believe it or not, for a tournament." He grinned. "Fred and I may have cheered one on for sending all the teachers flying at one point!"

Lauren laughed. She was getting used to the incredible stories that were everyday conversation to the Weasley family. As they chatted more, she happily agreed to take the twins to get pizza again.

"We're coming home tomorrow afternoon," she said. "So that Elliot will have a night to settle back with us before pizza night." She held his gaze. There was another reason that they had brought their return forward a bit as well, but she wasn't able to go into that right now. "So shall we go at about the same time as before?" she added quickly, "and can I assume that one of you will apparate me so I don't have to ask someone else?"

"Of course," George replied. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything's wonderful," she reassured him. She looked around her. "Are you alone?" she asked, trying to think of what to say that could throw him off the scent that she just knew he had picked up.

"Yes," he said. "I'm in my office, but Fred and 'Mione aren't here."

Lauren smiled. "We've been trying to remember who has Charlie's cabin on their sex bingo card," she told him, hoping that he would take the bait. "Charlie has okayed it with his boss for family to join us here sometimes, so he's trying to work out if that's good negotiating material."

"It's bloody Fleur," George grinned, "and she's going to win just by cooking at this rate! Charlie loves her crepes almost as much as I do!" He rolled his eyes. "I need to step up my game; I had kind of forgotten about it for a few days."

Lauren was happy that her distraction seemed to have worked. They chatted about how everyone was for a few more minutes before she looked up, seeing Charlie walk through the doorway, and smiled.

"That my ugly brother?" George asked.

"No, it's the love of my life and the father of my child," Lauren retorted.

"Same thing," he grinned, waving to Charlie when he leant down to kiss Lauren's cheek and then remained close so he could also be seen in the phone screen.

They said their goodbyes quickly after that, and Charlie turned to Lauren.

"Do you think he suspects anything?" he asked.

"No, I think I threw him off the scent with a chat about sex bingo," Lauren replied.

"Something is SO going on with those two," George told Fred, who had walked back into the office just as the call was ending.

"Oh, like what?" Fred had asked.

"Dunno," said George. "But something fishy is up."

He and Fred had been determined to quiz her in the car on the way to and from the pizza shop, but Lauren was so excited to tell them all about the reserve that they hardly got a word in, which was unusual for the two of them. She chatted about Charlie's cabin and the walks they had been on.

"The view is amazing, and the smell!" She took a deep breath. "Well maybe it won't be a big deal to you two, but I've never experienced anything like it."

"No, love," said Fred, "it's a big deal even for wizards and witches. I'd love to go there with 'Mione if that's ever an option."

"I think it might be," Lauren replied, "though you'd have to talk to Charlie," she added quickly. She was well aware that she was an amateur at the negotiations that the Weasleys undertook in relation to their bets, and she didn't want to get involved and mess things up. "Look, here we are; back home again!" she exclaimed, and they all got out of the car, the boys laden with boxes.

"Are we ready then?" Charlie asked, when they came through the front door and almost straight out the back. Elliot was bathed, pyjama-clad and already strapped to Charlie's front in his favourite rainbow sling. It was a sight which still made Lauren feel slightly weak at the knees each time she saw it afresh. She hadn't told anybody, for she knew they still needed time, but she was beginning to fantasise about the idea of seeing Charlie Weasley with a much smaller baby of theirs nestled against his chest.

"Almost!" She locked the back door, checking that she had her handbag and the carrier bag of muggle treats. "Yes!" she announced, and George finished loading all the pizza boxes into Fred's arms before opening his own for Lauren to step into.

"Bathroom, roof, or somewhere else, love?" he asked her.

"I think I can do the roof," she said. "Now that I've done portkeys too, I'm much better," she smiled.

"Alright then!" George took her into a hug, knowing that she wasn't especially co-ordinated and preferred to apparate in someone's arms rather than by their side, where she was more apt to stumble before she found her feet. That, he had realised, was nothing to do with being a muggle or not having apparition experience. Unlike most of the Weasleys, Lauren just wasn't blessed with an abundance of physical co-ordination. He found himself wondering what would happen if Charlie ever wanted to take her on a broom.

"Whoosh!" Elliot shouted just as Charlie reached for his wand, and they all landed on the shop's roof just moments later. George ensured that Lauren was well and steady and leaned down so she could give him a thank you kiss on the cheek before he turned to help Fred put the pizzas on the side table and add a charm that would keep them warm.

Seeing that a few people were already there, Elliot was keen to get down and explore, and Lauren and Charlie had to plead with him to be still so that they could release him from his sling.

"We have to tie you tight to keep you safe when we whoosh," Charlie said, laughing a little at Elliot's frustration to get down, "but the more you move, the longer it will take Mummy to untie you!"

Elliot continued to wriggle for another ten seconds or so. But then he suddenly stopped, as if Charlie's words had sunk in. Or, Lauren whispered to Charlie as Elliot ran off to scramble into Fleur's lap, perhaps they needed to thank Inardoe. It certainly looked as if Elliot might have responded to a voice that they hadn't heard.

But a different voice, from behind them, meant that conversation was put on hold. They turned to greet Phil, who had apparated in with Angelina, and then Hermione came to say hello, after which Harry and Ron arrived, rather more loudly than usual. It appeared that they might have had a drink or two already. Lauren smiled to herself. It was going to be a chaotic Weasley evening, and she loved every moment of being a part of this family.

By six o'clock, all were gathered. The side table was heaving, not just with hot pizza from the twins, but with more muggle pop and crisps from Lauren and Charlie, puddings from Phil and Molly and an assortment of treats and drinks that other family members had added.

"Welcome, welcome," Fred shouted, when it was clear that all were assembled. "I don't know about you all, but I'm pretty hungry, so if you would all make your way to the edges, as before, then Georgie and I can table up and let the pizza night begin!"

A few people began to move, but they stopped when Angelina held her wand into the air and let flow a stream of purple and gold stars which was accompanied by a fizzing noise.

George looked at her, a bit surprised. He had always loved this trick of hers, but he wasn't sure why she had done it just then. They had only seen each other for a few minutes that day, as she had been so busy with errands before she had flooed to her dad's restaurant ready to apparate him over.

"May I make an announcement first?" Angelina asked, causing everyone to become silent. "Because there's something I'd like to tell you all." She moved to stand next to George, and took his hand in reassurance. "Forgive me, sweetheart, because I haven't told you yet, and there's a good reason for that." She tore her gaze from his questioning eyes and looked around at his family, "Some of you know about this, and some of you don't. To those who don't, please listen and let me finish before you ask me questions. I'll answer all your questions over dinner, but just let me get it all out."

Fred and Hermione looked at each other, thoroughly confused.

Angelina took a deep breath. "I've thought long and hard about it, and I'm giving up professional quidditch. I won't be signing for next season."

A couple of people gasped, but George was the only one who spoke. "Are you sure, love?"

Angelina nodded, gently placing her finger on his lips to remind him that she wanted to speak uninterrupted. "It controls my life too much. I hate the publicity and the amount of time it takes. And as much as I loved playing at school, I've realised it's not nearly as much fun when it's your job. It's getting in the way of other things I want to do. And before you ask," she continued, barely leaving a space for fear of being interrupted, "I am sure it's the right decision. I have to thank Ginny for listening to me prattle on about it for hours this week," she smiled at the younger witch, who raised her eyebrows and tipped her head in acknowledgement. "And Charlie, the one person who can truly understand what this decision feels like, and who talked with me on the phone." Charlie gave her a small nod, and an encouraging smile.

Angelina looked around the roof garden. There was remarkably little noise, which made the next thing she wanted to say much easier. "Like I said," she took a deep breath. "It's also getting in the way of other things I want to do, as some of you know."

Angelina took another deep breath, turned back to George and dropped to one knee in front of him. "And what I want to do most of all is to be with you, the love of my life." Molly squeaked, and Arthur put his hand on her arm as Angelina continued. "Will you marry me, George Weasley?" she asked, looking up at the tall wizard. "You mean so much more to me than quidditch ever will. The other reason I'm not going to sign up again is because I want to be with you. Will you bond with me, Georgie?"

It took George a few seconds to fully take in her words but, once he had, he sank to his own knees in front of her and took her hands in his own. "You mean it?" he asked. "All in? A full bonding, like Fred and 'Mione have?" He was almost breathless; not sure whether his ear was deceiving him.

Angelina nodded vigorously, tears coming to her eyes as she saw the excitement in his. She couldn't even look at Phil and Molly. They had both known what was coming, and yet she knew they would be crying, and that would make her lose it. "All in; the whole thing, Georgie. Full bonding, bed cord. My instructions, in your head, forever," she teased, reaching her hand towards his face. "Is that something you'd like?"

"Yes!" he said, more loudly than he had planned to, making everyone laugh. "Yes, yes!" he began to cover Angelina's face in kisses, making their family 'awwww' in delight.

Behind him, Fred grasped his wand, covered his mouth and whispered a quick spell that only Hermione heard. Awed by his quick thinking, Hermione turned around with him to face the entrance to the stairs and ensure that they caught the summoned item as it flew towards them. Bending down, Fred used his twin bond to communicate with George and then slipped a small box into his brother's hand from behind.

"Thanks to my quick-thinking best man," George said with a grin, "I happen to have this up my sleeve." He opened the box and showed Angelina a pretty ring. She looked into his eyes as he continued. "Because I was already planning to ask you to marry me, Angie. You're the perfect woman for me, and I can't imagine anything I want more than to have you by my side for the rest of my life. Will you marry me back?"

"Yes," she whispered, giving George her hand and letting him put the ring onto her finger before she gave him a kiss.

"Wow," said Ron, always ready to fill emotional moments with unnecessary comments. "Any more surprises?"

"I've not finished this one, actually, Ron," Angelina told him, still kneeling with George and holding his hands. "Because I don't want to wait … unless you do?" George looked confused. "So it's totally up to you, but my Dad has set everything up at the cove. And, if you'd like, we could do a Fred and Hermione and get bonded on Sunday. And," she looked up at Molly before turning back to George. True to form, tears were flowing down her face. "Your Mum already knows that she doesn't even have to do the food overnight this time … Dad has staff on call for that, and she can relax and enjoy it!"

"Mum knows?" George and Fred spoke together, making several people laugh.

Angelina laughed. "Of course she does." She leaned in towards him. "Had to ask for your hand, didn't I? And she did ask for no big surprises a few weeks ago, so it was only fair really! A few other people might know too. Ginny and Charlie, of course, and Lauren. And I needed to make sure that I could make it happen so quickly, so I may have been talking to a few people."

The smiles on Molly and Arthur's faces told a story of their own, and suddenly it all made sense to Hermione. Why she had thought something was going on; why Angelina had changed the subject at every turn; why she had spent so much time at her Dad's and why Molly had been unable to stop herself from coming to the shop and pouncing on George on the Wednesday afternoon. That must have been soon after Angelina had talked to her.

Angelina looked at Hermione. This was the only thing that she had been worried about. At the same time that she had sent an owl to Romania, to ask Charlie to chat with her and checking whether they he and Lauren were free and in England at the weekend, she had also owled Molly, Fleur, Ginny and Penny. They had been secretly meeting and making plans with her all week. Angelina's only worry was that Hermione would feel left out or snubbed by her actions. "I'm so sorry, Hermione," she said, reaching for Hermione's hand. "The only thing I feel bad about is that I couldn't talk to you. I've broken the quadruplet agreement!"

Hermione simply stepped forward and into Angelina's arms. "I'm so happy, and of course you couldn't tell me. I couldn't have kept it from Fred, and he wouldn't have been able to keep it from George. Congratulations!" Then she laughed a bit. "At least I know that my intuition isn't screwed though. I've had a feeling that something was up all week!"

"What about a dress?" George looked confused. "And the cord? And … and…" Bill and Charlie burst out laughing at how taken aback he was by this turn of events. It wasn't often that one of the pranking duo was rendered speechless.

"Well, if you want a nice dress, I'm sure Fleur could help you, George," Bill began, causing several people to laugh loudly.

"I have a dress, Georgie," Angelina told him, suppressing her own laugh and cupping his face with her hand to ensure that he was able to pay attention. "It was my Mum's, and Dad saved it for me. Fleur has been helping me with that, seeing as I'm a bit more athletic than my mum was." She smiled at the French witch. "And I have most of my bridesmaids sorted. We can go cord and wedding ring shopping together tomorrow, like Fred and Hermione did, if you'd like to do this, and there's even time for you to have a stag do with your brothers tomorrow evening, if you want. Or," she reassured him, "we can wait six months or a year. I just wanted you to have the choice of not waiting, if that's what you want. We could wake up in the cove on Monday morning and we'd be bonded together, forever…"

"Are we going to gatecrash their morning after brunch, like they did ours?" Fred said to Hermione.

"Absolutely we are," she replied.

"I'm in," said George, his smile wide. "Let's do it. I want this so much, love." When he kissed Angelina that time, applause and cheering rang out across the roof. Bill, ever the diplomat, was the first to head towards Phil and shake his hand before allowing himself to be pulled into a strong hug by the older wizard.

"Are you ready for the Weasley family?" Charlie asked Phil, offering his own hand and receiving an equally vigorous hug instead.

"Oh, I think I'll cope!" Phil laughed, watching the younger family members allowing Molly and Arthur to congratulate the happy couple first before they dived in with good wishes of their own. Bill tapped Charlie on the shoulder, and jerked his head, wordlessly asking his brother to follow him downstairs. They returned just two minutes later with a half dozen bottles of prosecco which Bill and Fleur had brought with them. Minutes later, they had transfigured enough glasses and handed them around so that a toast could be made.

The details of Angelina's week and of the plans that she had already made were shared around the enlarged table and the boxes of pizza. Molly had readily accepted that Angelina wanted the wedding at her own home and had been delighted to leave Elliot with Fleur and Bill one evening while she popped over to the restaurant and helped Phil plan a menu. Because Angelina already knew Phil had no aptitude for baking, and that Molly would have her hands full with Elliot all week, she had also owled Penny, who had been delighted to take on another Weasley wedding cake. Angelina also shared how she had asked Fleur for help with the dresses. She didn't share the fact that Fleur had already gifted Angelina with a pretty lingerie set just as she had done for Hermione. Fleur rather hoped to be able to do this for all of the women who married the Weasley brothers, and of course for Ginny; it would be her 'thing'.

"I really don't want anyone to buy new outfits," Angelina urged them. "In fact," she looked at George, "in light of Fred and George's love of confusing people by wearing the same clothes, I thought it might be nice to ask you all to wear what you wore to Fred and Hermione's wedding…"

"What a great idea," Percy exclaimed.

Hermione looked at Fred and grinned. He knew exactly what she was thinking. "Presumably, though," he said to Angelina," you'd like Hermione in something other than Fleur's wedding dress?"

"Well actually," Angelina replied. "I'd like Hermione in a matron of honour dress, if you'd like that?"

"I'd love to," Hermione said, her eyes widening. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure!" Angelina laughed. "We're going to be in this bond together, you know! I want you right up there with me and across from the best man!"

"Oh, you've picked the best man already as well, have you?" George teased her.

"No," she blushed. "I just assumed … and when he got the ring, you said..."

"Of course I'm the bloody best man," Fred exclaimed loudly. "I'm so bloody excited for this!" It was clear that the elder twin was having trouble containing himself, and he was drinking faster than usual in his excitement.

"Ginny and Alicia are going to be my bridesmaids," she continued, looking at George, "and I haven't asked him yet, but I wondered if Elliot would like to be a page boy? If he can stop wriggling for long enough," she teased the little boy, who was dancing around in his seat as he tried to follow the conversation.

Lauren looked at Elliot. "Would you like to help Angie and George get married?"

"Yes!" he shouted.

"I'll just need to get him something to wear," Lauren said, pulling a thoughtful face as she mentally went through Elliot's wardrobe and realised he had nothing appropriate.

"Do not worry," said Fleur quickly. "If you're able to come to Shell Cottage sometime tomorrow, I have already bought some tiny robes that we can make fit Elliot."

Lauren nodded. "Oh, that would be lovely."

George was staring at Angelina in between bites of pizza. The enormity of what had happened and what was going to happen was still sinking in.

"Alright, Georgie?" she asked, smiling and stroking the side of his face as she used Fred's favourite phrase to check on his twin's wellbeing.

"Are you sure, love?" he asked. "You wanted this so much. To play professionally…"

"I did," Angelina said, putting down the slice of pizza that was in her hand and wiping her fingers with a napkin. "When we were at school, I loved quidditch so much. I loved the team spirit, the smells, the camaraderie. I loved winning. I loved that it brought us together."

I loved seeing you in your beater's robes, she thought, and then staying behind in the changing room and watching you strip them off for me. She decided not to add that.

"And at the time, I could think of no better career than to carry on doing that." She paused and took a breath. "But playing professionally isn't anything like playing at school. It's compulsory drills, making nice with sponsors, being away from you too much. It's having to have the treatment the team healer thinks I need when I get injured, rather than the treatment that my body feels it wants. It feels like my body's not my own, and my time isn't my own. It steals the joy from it, and I don't like it." She picked up her glass. "I want to be able to drink prosecco when something good happens, not have to say no because it's in my contract. Or be watching my back in case I take a sip and somebody sees and reports me." Then she shook her head, her voice becoming quieter as she took linked her fingers with his. "It's not just about you or the bond, sweetheart. Ginny and Charlie both helped me see that. I wouldn't sign for another season even if you had said no, or if we weren't together. I can't handle the discipline."

A wide and teasing smile crossed George's face and Angelina had never been gladder that her skin was too dark to show a blush, especially with her Dad at the table. In the same moment, Fred had to suppress a laugh at the realisation that he and his twin had something else in common, and Hermione stored away the confirmation that she had been correct in her hunch about Fred enjoying a bit of chastisement.

Ginny jumped in to help. "The thing is, that there are other things that Ange could do that would give her the good bits, but not the downsides."

Angelina, fortified with a large mouthful of prosecco, took over again. "Absolutely, thanks Gin. Maybe one day Madame Hooch will want to retire. And Charlie pointed out that he gets the same kind of team spirit feeling when working with all of you in the shop. I was really sad to miss out on the product making day," she said. "That was one of several catalysts for me. And," she smiled at Elliot before looking around, "the Weasley next generation will need an official quidditch coach. I'd like to volunteer for that role."

"Indeed they will," said Charlie, reaching out for Elliot. "We need to talk to your Mum about getting you on a broom!"

Lauren barked out a short laugh, making Charlie and Bill catch each other's eyes and share a grin, before Bill skilfully changed the subject back to Elliot's visit to Shell Cottage. Lauren hadn't yet seen any of them flying and actually thought that they were teasing her. She was certain the quidditch was a wizarding version of hockey with more complicated rules and that the two eldest Weasleys were joking when they told her it was played on brooms. To date, they had managed to suppress any conversation to the contrary, both determined to have some fun with this when the opportunity arose.

"Shall we paddle again when you come?" he asked the little wizard, who had enjoyed his visits to the sea while Charlie and Lauren had been away.

"Yes!"

That was the end of Elliot's energy, though and, just a few minutes later, he slid down from Charlie's lap and toddled back over to Fleur, having developed the habit of seeking her out when he was tired and wanting to sleep on somebody. She settled him onto her lap and gently rocked him to sleep.

"Do you want us to put him in our bed again?" Fred asked Lauren.

She shook her head. "Thanks, but we actually just want to have a few nights with all of us at home, now we're back."

"Of course…" Fred had forgotten that they had only portkeyed in from Romania the previous day.

"It's going to be a busy weekend. If you could tell us what we need to do tomorrow," Lauren said to Angelina, "I think we'll be off, if someone wouldn't mind giving us a hand?"

"I will," said Fred, but Hermione put her hand on his arm.

"You'll wake him up with your loud whooshing," she teased him. "And besides, you're likely too drunk not to splinch yourself, sweetheart. I'll take him for you," she told Lauren, lifting her leg over the bench so that she could stand. Quickly, Angelina assured Lauren that the only thing that needed doing tomorrow from their perspective was Elliot's outfit. They weren't planning a rehearsal, on the basis that Fred and Hermione had managed quite nicely without, and were going to go with the flow on the day. Lauren quickly made a plan with Fleur, and then the little family said their farewells while Hermione slid Elliot from Fleur's arms into her own, ready to apparate him home so that Charlie could take Lauren.

"We really need more of you to know where we live," Charlie remarked with a smile, as they stood and said farewell.

"We were going to have an open house and invite you all over at the weekend," laughed Lauren, "but we've been beaten with a better offer!"

Angelina laughed at that.

"Perhaps we could come next week," Arthur offered. He was still desperately keen to see Lauren's cottage.

"We'll make that happen," Lauren promised, giving Charlie's dad a kiss on the cheek as she passed him. "But," she looked tenderly at Angelina and George, who were whispering words of love to each other while everybody else was busy watching herself, Charlie and Elliot, "let's get these two lovebirds married first!"


	79. Plans, bonds and trades

As Charlie and his little family apparated away with Hermione helping Lauren, Molly Weasley looked around the rooftop table where the rest of her much larger family were seated. She couldn't believe how content she felt, and it wasn't even the wine. Of all of her children, George was the one she had been the most worried about since Voldemort's demise. Bill and Percy had long been settled with their partners. Ginny, Fred and Charlie's relationship happiness was more recent, but promised to be just as long-lasting. Ron showed no signs of settling down but no signs of being unhappy with that situation. But George, Molly knew, had been almost desperate to bond with Angelina once he had seen how happy Fred was with Hermione. And now, in less than forty-eight hours time, his dream would come true. It would be another brilliant star to add to the Weasley post-war recovery constellation.

When Angelina had owled to ask to meet Molly in the strictest secrecy, Molly's heart had skipped a beat. Keen to ensure that the recipients of her letters wouldn't worry unnecessarily, Angelina assured them that the reason she wanted to talk with them was a happy one, and that George must not be told that they were meeting. It didn't take Molly more than a few seconds to add two and two together and reach the correct conclusion.

Her excited suspicions had been confirmed when she and Angelina met, and the challenge had been how to spend as much time discussing things with Angelina as possible without little Elliot overhearing anything that he might unwittingly repeat. Or, perhaps more pertinently, without Inardoe hearing anything that he might whisper into Elliot's ear to be repeated at a later stage. Molly and Arthur were watching their grandson closely, and they had already deduced that Inardoe had little knowledge of or care for human or wizarding social conventions. Arthur had pointed out that, as that kind of thing was part of Lauren's expertise, she would be bound to find a way to get on top of it. In the meantime, he offered to take some time off work so that Molly could meet with Angelina alone.

In the end, he didn't need to, as Fleur and Bill stepped in. Gringotts were undertaking some kind of summer cleaning and restoration work which meant that both of them were working at home for part of the week. Elliot had a lovely time visiting Shell Cottage and paddling in the sea with Bill while Angelina came to The Burrow, and then took Molly to Phil's restaurant to make plans together.

"Are you OK, Mollywobbles?" Arthur whispered into her ear, breaking her daydream about the upcoming wedding and bringing her attention back to the half-eaten slice of pizza that she was holding in her hand.

"I'm wonderful, Arthur," she told him, patting his arm before readjusting her pizza slice. "Just wonderful!"

A hundred and twenty miles away, his son was asking a very similar question.

"Are you OK with all of this, sweets?" Charlie had stepped in between Lauren and Hermione and put his arms around them almost as soon as they landed in Lauren's garden. Hermione stroked Elliot's hair as she smiled at Charlie. "Angie was worried about what you'd think," he said to his sister-in-law.

"I couldn't be happier for them," she assured him. "Georgie really needs this. We've almost got him sorted, but this will be the final piece of the puzzle that helps him heal, I think. I just hope Angie's sure about quidditch…"

"She is," Charlie said, helping Lauren scoop Elliot from his sling. Lauren kissed Hermione's cheek and whispered that she was going to take their tiny wizard into the cottage and put him to bed. "We had a long chat, but I think her mind has been made up for a while," he told Hermione. "All I did was confirm that I had never regretted my decision to not play professionally." He tipped his head to one side, looking at Lauren as she disappeared through the back door. "And, as a bonus bit of unsolicited big brotherly advice, I told her how much I wished I hadn't lost nearly three years of the time I could have spent with Lauren. I may have sealed the deal with that," he said, pulling a face that Hermione couldn't quite read. "No use dwelling on what might have been though," he said, giving her a smile. "Need to focus on the future now."

They chatted about the future for a few more minutes, but Hermione was keen not to miss too much of the wedding conversation, especially as she already felt she was behind. Expressing a hope that they would all be able to catch up the next day somehow, she gave Charlie a hug and apparated back to the roof.

Hermione landed next to the drinks table, making Fred laugh. She had deliberately only had one drink thus far, knowing that Lauren and Charlie might need another witch or wizard to help them get home, so she filled her glass to the brim, took a big gulp, and then refilled it before heading back to the table. She toasted her grinning husband with her glass while walking back towards him and re-took her seat.

"We saved you your favourite," said George, pushing a pizza box towards Hermione.

"Oh, I'm too full of pizza, thank you," she told him. "It's possible I could find room for one of Mum's cauldron cakes though."

Molly beamed, using her wand to send a cake swooping across the table and onto Hermione's plate.

"So," said Hermione, picking it up with a smile. "I feel behind, and we all know I don't like not knowing things," she smiled. "So may I be brought up-to-date?"

"All that's happened since you left," Fred said, "is that we've established that Verity also knows, and the shop is covered. She's the only one who was off on Saturday, but she's agreed to work so that we can all get things ready, and she and Lee are coming to the wedding Sunday."

"Together?" Hermione asked, eyebrows raised.

Angelina laughed. "I didn't really give them a choice there!"

"So who else knows?" Hermione asked.

Angelina looked at her dad. "A few of my family have been invited to a party, but they don't know what it's for. Dad has sorted that."

"I may have hinted at an important announcement," Phil said, "and I've said there's a dress code, but I don't think they suspect. I'll owl around and tell them the real reason tonight."

"Alicia, as you know," said Angelina, clearly needing to think back. She wasn't a list-writing witch. "Minerva, because I needed to borrow owls, and I obviously couldn't use the shop ones."

"Obviously," Fred and George joked in unison.

"She's coming, and I've encouraged her to bring a plus one. And Percy and Penny have made us a wonderful offer…" She looked at Percy, wanting him to be able to take the credit for having come up with such a kind thought. They hadn't got as far as telling everyone this bit yet.

"We've made some invitations," he said, "and we're willing to stay up as long as it takes this evening so that, if Angelina and George can make a list of anyone else they'd like to invite, we'll get them all sent out tonight, so people have as much notice as possible."

"Thanks, Percy," said George, a bit dazed. He was still taking it all in.

"I've made a bit of a list already, with your mum's help," Angelina said, pushing a piece of parchment towards her fiancé. "I don't think we want anything massive; it's just family and the Order ... a couple of my team mates and a few friends from school. Mostly our year, but I wondered if you'd like to ask Neville as well?"

"That'd be great," said George. "And Luna," he said, looking at Hermione and Fred. "Anyone else?"

They added a few more names, but despite Phil's assurance that he would gladly cater for as many guests as they wanted to invite, both were in agreement that they didn't want masses of people.

"It's already quite a lot, just with families," George noted, although Ange's family was far smaller than the Weasleys.

"Well then," Ange said, sending the parchment to Percy. "I think that's everybody. Thank you so much."

Percy bowed. "Unless there's anything else we can do," he said, "we will be off to undertake our role." Fred and George grinned. Percy still had a tendency to sound a bit pompous now and again, but they suppressed the urge to point it out, given the generosity of his gesture. "We've asked everyone to RSVP to us by tomorrow lunchtime, and we have arranged to get the final list to Phil as soon as we have it."

Hermione sat up straighter. "Do you need help with a table plan?" she asked Angelina. She was hoping that there was something useful that she could do.

Angelina smiled. "We're going to just let everyone sit anywhere they like," she said. "Dad's planning a big buffet, down on the beach. Finger food for starters and big dishes of rice and noodles with a load of pots of curry. We'll just give everyone a bowl and fork; it'll be fun. We're having a special table for the wedding party, but otherwise the staff are just going to take all the restaurant tables and chairs down to the beach and it'll be free seating. Then they'll send them all back up to the restaurant, scatter beanbags around and we'll dance on the beach. They do it for private parties all the time and they have charms that will do it all in one go; it's quite a thing to see."

"Can I do anything to help then?" Hermione asked. "Or do you have it all planned and under control?"

Angelina was about to say that there was nothing for Hermione to do, when she realised that might not be the best way to help the younger witch feel included. It was all pretty much in hand, and Hermione had been excluded because of her bond with Fred. Angelina thought quickly, wondering what she could do.

"Actually," she said, realising that there was an answer to the dilemma. "As matron of honour, I was hoping that you would sit down with me after dinner and help me to make sure I haven't left anything out. And maybe you could take a job or two off my hands tomorrow. Not too much, though; I need you over at Shell Cottage to sort your dress, and then we're having a witches' evening tomorrow evening. These two," she tipped her hand in the twins' direction, "started organising a joint stag do while you were taking Lauren home, so it's only fair we get our own as well."

"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed. "I'd love to! That's exactly the sort of thing I'm good at!"

"Great," said Angelina, earning herself identically grateful smiles from both Fred and George and a nod from Molly. Phil and Angelina already had everything in hand, but they all knew that Hermione felt better when she could think things through ahead of time.

Over the next few minutes, the family moved away from the table, and some took their leave, while others reassembled elsewhere on the roof. Phil, Percy and Penny left at about the same time, as they all had plans to implement. Fleur and Bill said their goodbyes as well, having said they wanted to do a bit of housework and clearing up before they welcomed those who needed dress and outfit help to Shell Cottage the next day. In truth, their early departure had more to do with the moon having been new the night before. They both loved spending hours enjoying the slower, softer lovemaking that Bill found himself desperate for around this time. And Arthur, Harry and the remaining Weasley boys had cleared and shrunk the dining table and were now working their way through the snacks while making plans for a stag do.

"Who's going to marry you?" Hermione asked, once she and Angelina were installed on a comfy sofa, with Molly and Ginny across from them.

"Kingsley," said Angelina, with a smile. "I really loved your wedding, and I knew Georgie would want to get bonded in the same way as Fred. I spoke to him yesterday, and he's agreed." Her smile widened. "He asked if George and I would be up for joining the campaign. I said I thought we already had, and he should just double check with George once I had actually asked him to marry me, but George already said he would do anything that would help."

"Hmmmm." Hermione suspected she knew just how Kingsley would play this. He would want photos of the four of them in their wedding finery splashed across the front page of the The Daily Prophet on Monday morning. Sipping her wine, she shrugged. She didn't enjoy being in the limelight but had done much harder things for the wizarding world than that. And Fred made it easier for her, prepared as he was to move the focus of attention onto himself when it got too much for her.

"I'll take Georgie to get rings and a binding cord in the morning," Angelina continued. "My dress is sorted, and already at my Dad's. That's a point," she looked at Molly. "We need to talk about where everyone wants to get ready on Sunday morning. I'm going to sleep in my old room at Dad's the night before…"

"Just tell us what you'd like, and we'll do it," Ginny said.

Angelina considered that for a moment. "Why don't you come over after breakfast, say anytime from nine, and we could all get ready together. The wedding's at midday," she told Hermione. "And other than being a bit earlier, to give us more party time, it'll be very like yours. No tree swing though!"

"Would you like one?" Hermione asked, thinking that she probably just about had time to get Charlie and Bill onto that.

Angelina shook her head and smiled. "I'm good, thanks. I'm really happy to have the beach and a few fireworks, which I know they'll be plotting," she tipped her head to the twins, "whether I say anything or not. I tell you what you could do, love," she said, an important thought having crossed her mind.

"Oh, what's that?" Hermione's eyes brightened.

"Make sure you've got enough hangover potion, bacon sandwiches and Pepper Up for the boys on Sunday morning," she said. "I don't want anything spoiling my big day! And make sure Freddie doesn't do anything silly when it comes to the rings…"

"Now that," said Hermione, pleased to have a role, "I can do!" It occurred to her that it might be useful to stash some chocolate in her handbag, lest Angie and George experience the same tension as she and Fred did, and felt much better as she made a mental list of helpful things she could pack into her tiny bag.

Half an hour later, Hermione had been filled in on all of Angelina's plans, and she gratefully told the older witch how much better she felt for that.

"I really didn't want to leave you out," Angie repeated. "But I so wanted to surprise Georgie."

"I understand," Hermione assured her again. "I wouldn't have been able to keep it from Fred, and he would have to have closed the bond in order to keep it from George, and that would have been awful for George. I really do understand, and I don't mind," she assured her friend.

"OK, good," Angelina said. "From now on, you'll know everything, as soon as it's there to be known!"

"Well," Hermione pondered, her voice slowing, "maybe you and I will be able to read each other's minds too, through the boys?"

"That would be fun," said Angelina, "but I don't think so. I actually talked to Minerva about it a couple of weeks ago, and she let me go to the school so we could do some research. There was only one book in the library dealing with what happens when you mix twin bonds and marriage bonds, but it was pretty clear. When the first twin gets bonded, there's a fifty fifty chance of a link between their spouse and their twin. But if the other twin then gets bonded … well there's never been a situation where the spouse in my place gets linked to the first twin or to their spouse, so I guess I'm just linking with Georgie." She smiled, looking over at Fred and George. "Which is great by me. Remember what I said when we came to see you at the cove? I don't know if I want one of the nutters in my head, let alone both!"

Hermione nodded, remembering, as Ginny laughed loudly, causing the men to look their way and wonder what was being said.

"Well," Angelina continued, but in a quieter voice so that she wouldn't be overheard. "I've realised that I actually DO want my idiot in my head and heart, but I'm … well, I'm kind of glad that I won't be getting your nutter in there as well. And you and I can continue to have a nice, normal friendship. Where we can tell each other how we feel rather than automatically knowing."

Ginny, Hermione and Molly all laughed again, fuelled as much by the wine as Angelina's words. The nearby wizards couldn't bear not to come and see what was causing so much hilarity, and sofas were quickly enlarged so that they could join the group. Hermione was delighted to see Ginny throw an arm around Ron as well as Harry, while Fred scooped her up and placed her in his lap, as George did the same with Angelina. Hermione suppressed the niggling worry that Angie's words had placed in her mind, deciding to save it for later.

Their guests left soon after, which Hermione appreciated. She had a lot to get her head around, and a growing concern. Fred insisted that she should enjoy looking at the lights of London while he did the last bit of clearing up, which meant that she had had a front row seat for Angelina and George's affectionate farewell.

"I'm going to sleep at my Dad's tonight and tomorrow," Angie told her husband-to-be.

"Really?"

She laughed, taking his face in her hand. "Yes, love. I'll pick you up in the morning to get rings and cords, but a couple of nights of separation will make our wedding night all the sweeter."

"I suppose…" George didn't sound like he supposed anything of the sort, and Fred laughed at the somewhat petulant tone in his voice.

"It will. I promise," Angie said, giving him one last, lingering kiss before she whispered a goodnight to Hermione and apparated away.

Hermione was, truth be told, a bit relieved. She had been holding in a concern for a few minutes now, and she hadn't wanted to spoil anything about Angelina's evening. Lifting herself off the sofa, she ran downstairs to the bathroom, got ready in super-quick time and then almost threw herself into the safety of her bed, scooping both pygmy puffs up for comfort. Once she was safe and alone, her tears began to flow, uncontrolled, and she lacked the concentration to close the bond and prevent Fred and George from feeling her emotion.

Fred was on the scene first. "What's up, love?" he asked. He was very confused. They had had a lovely evening, and the best news, and he couldn't imagine why Hermione was upset. Unless it was all the wine. Or maybe she was sad that she wasn't going to have a quiet weekend after all. She had mentioned wanting to do some of that cross stitch stuff, he remembered.

"Georgie," she sobbed. "I don't want to lose my link with Georgie!"

"Why would that happen?" Fred sat on the bed behind her, even more confused.

Through her tears, Hermione tried to explain what Angelina had said about the effect that her and George's marriage would have on their bond. "You and George will still be linked," she explained, "but neither you or I will be able to sense Angie in any way, according to Minerva and the school library."

"Must be true then, if it says it in the library," Fred teased, trying to get her to smile. It failed miserably and Hermione's sobs grew louder.

"I'm sorry, love," he said, stroking her back. "I didn't mean to make fun of your studying. Half of us probably wouldn't be here without your love of studying." He was struggling to understand where this surge of emotion had come from. She seemed to have been having a lovely time just half an hour earlier.

"Bloody hell, Freddie!" George's voice came from the door. Then it softened, as he addressed Hermione. "I'm coming in, love, I hope you're decent."

George, who was wearing just a pair of pyjama bottoms, took one look at Hermione and then climbed in the bed, pulling her onto his chest and holding her there with his arms. "Here, behind," he said to his twin, indicating what he wanted with his hand until Fred obeyed and spooned Hermione so that they had sandwiched the tearful witch between the two of them.

"When are you due on?" George asked Hermione, stroking her hair.

"Tomorrow," she said.

"What shitty timing," he said, sympathetically. "But between us, we know lots of spells, and I bet you'll feel better when it starts."

Hermione nodded into his shoulder, her tears ebbing a bit in the face of his tenderness. George looked over her shoulder at his brother.

"Will I be needing to step in every month, Freddie, or are you going to learn about witches' cycles one day? Because I'm sure I could get Mum to give you the dragons and hippogriffs talk again if you need it?"

Fred shuddered, laughed and pulled Hermione closer to his body all in one go. "I'm sorry, love. I'm going to learn to anticipate this. You did tell me you feel more emotional before you get your period, but I just didn't do the maths."

A mumbled sentence came from George's chest, which Fred didn't catch.

"What's that, love?" he asked.

"She's going to put a spell on your wand to warn you three days before she's due each month."

"That sounds like a brilliant idea, love," Fred said. "Now, what can I get you? Hot chocolate? Wheat pack for your tummy?"

Hermione shook her head. "Not yet, sweetheart. I'll probably need all of those in the morning. Tonight, I just feel sad about my bond with Georgie."

"Why's that, love?" George, who hadn't heard the first part of the conversation, was confused.

"Because when you and Angie bond, I'm guessing our bond will disappear, and I'll miss you so much," she sniffed, causing Fred to summon a handkerchief, which he held out so it hung next to her face. This caused Graham to get very excited, thinking that Fred was offering them a game, and led to both pygmy puffs being put back at the top of the pillow with another piece of cloth to tug at while Hermione blew her nose. "I'm so happy for you both," she added. "I feel mean," she trailed off.

"That's not like you," said George.

"To feel mean?" she asked.

"No," he replied. "To guess. You said you guess our bond will disappear. But you don't know that, do you?"

After a short pause, she shook her head.

"It's a shame you didn't come and have crepes with me last weekend," he said. Although, he realised with a small chuckle to himself, he could hardly have taken her to a breakfast which was his reward for sharing information about where she and his twin had had sex.

"Why?"

"Because Bill and I had a long walk on the beach, and that's when he suggested the family bond," George said. He waited until Hermione had blown her nose again before continuing. "And my one concern was whether it would dampen or interfere with my twin bond, or with the bond I have with you, and do you want to know what he said?"

Hermione nodded, as Fred chuckled at George's drawing out of the big reveal, which he could already sense.

"That once a bond like ours has been forged, it's not possible for any other bond to dampen or undo it." He paused, a wide grin across his face. "Forged, geddit?"

Fred and Hermione groaned, and then George's heart swelled to see a smile cross her face too.

"Really?"

George nodded. "Really. Bill laughed at me for not knowing. Do you remember the first thing I did after you two were actually bonded?"

Hermione answered quickly. Even thought she had only had eyes for Fred, she had been touched by George's actions. "You pulled Harry up to escort Ginny and you walked Minerva down the aisle."

"After that," he prompted.

"You knelt and put my engagement ring back on and promised to love my kids and help me get my share of Sunday dinner … oh Gods," she said, realising the implications of her words.

"Exactly. Bill thought I did it on purpose; that you and I had planned it, but we didn't. I gave you a token and made vows while the bonding magic was still weaving around. It seems you're stuck with me, love. Not in a husbandly way, of course, but you're forever bonded to me as my twin-in-law, or wife-in-law, whichever you prefer."

"Your jokes, in my head, forever," she said, playing on Angie's words from earlier.

"Is that OK?" George asked softly.

"It's more than OK," she replied. "I couldn't imagine life without you there in the background now."

"Just as well," he said. "Seeing as Freddie's a bit rubbish at some things! No wonder Lady Magic decided you needed another twin on the side to compensate for the bits he's crap at!"

"Oi!" Fred said. "I'm trying to make up for it!" And he was. He had been stroking Hermione's tummy with one hand, and massaging her lower back with the other. Hermione turned her head and murmured reassurance that he was helping, and the three of them chatted for a while longer about the weekend before she announced that she was tired and wanted to sleep. She didn't want to feel more rubbish then necessary in the morning.

Peace reigned for a couple of minutes, until a voice from behind her broke the silence.

"Oh Gods," said Fred, the grin audible in his voice. "You're getting bloody married, Georgie! Bonded, just like you wanted!"

"I know," came an almost identical voice from the other side of Hermione. "I still can't quite believe it myself…"

"Go to sleep," she whispered, but they could both hear the smile in her voice.

"Shall I retire to my own boudoir?" George asked, making no movement to get out of the bed. "Or pile on the other side of Freddie so you're not too hot?"

"No, stay where you are, please," Hermione said, a bit shyly.

"Thought you once said you didn't want to sleep between two human storage heaters," he teased.

"Well," she retorted, "Angie said she didn't want either of you idiots in her head, and she's changed her mind, so I don't see why I can't too. Just this once," she said, "or twice, I suppose. I'm assuming you'll be all lovey and snuggly when you're pissed tomorrow night as well, and you'll want to get in with us again once last time before you get bonded."

"Brilliant," George said. "Period care for hangover care. That's a great trade. I'll bring you hot chocolate and a wheat pack tomorrow morning if you let me spend my last night of single life in your bed and then get me sobered up to enjoy my wedding day on Sunday."

"I will," Hermione promised, "if you will just go to sleep…"

George didn't reply. Instead, he leaned forward and pressed a brotherly kiss to her cheek. He breathed deeply and deliberately kept his mind blank for a few moments until he heard Hermione's breathing become slower. Then, he and Fred spent the next hour silently sending images of potential wedding firework displays to each other, just as they used to send pictures to help each other get to sleep when they first went to Hogwarts. Hermione slept soundly between them. George couldn't remember feeling happier.


	80. A small change of plan

True to his word, George provided attentive and sympathetic care to his wife-in-law as soon as he woke up. He delivered a cup of tea and a warm compress to Hermione while she was still in bed and, after directing another short lecture on meeting witches' needs to his twin, flooed to The Burrow to beg some more of Molly's pain potion. He was delighted to find his mum already cooking, and returned with three portions of breakfast, a large cup of coffee for himself and a tub of shortbread which Molly stuffed under his arm just as he was about to step back into the fireplace.

Hermione, who had been stressing all night about how she was going to manage to get excited about weddings and dresses when all she wanted to do was to spend the day on the sofa, felt immensely relieved. Somehow, just an extra hour in bed having tea and breakfast with her husband and his twin on either side of her had fortified her. Cross-legged under the duvet, she polished off her entire breakfast, which was slightly disappointing to Fred. He had been hoping that she would, as usual, push her last sausage onto his plate, declaring that she couldn't manage it. But, he reminded himself, it was lovely to see her filling out again after their months on the run with inadequate food, and he would gladly relinquish eating her leftovers if it meant her health was optimal again.

"What would you all like me to do today?" he asked. "Other than plan the ultimate stag do, of course," he winked, looking at Hermione even while his words were directed at George.

"We both need to get our robes out," George said, "and make sure they don't have stains from your wedding night." He waggled his eyebrows at Fred, and received a mild slap on his leg from Hermione.

"Oi!", he complained, indicating her breakfast tray. "I'm being nice!"

"Oh," she smiled, fortified by the food and Molly's pain potion, "I thought you were making lewd jokes about my wedding night. I do apologise!" She gave him a small bow, which wasn't easy to accomplish while sitting in bed with a breakfast tray on her lap, and he pulled her under his arm in a hug.

"Come on then," Fred said, throwing his long legs over the side of the bed and sending all of the breakfast trays off to the kitchen. "No time like the present, and then we can get on with fireworks!"

Fred crossed the room and opened his wardrobe, while George disappeared through the door, loudly composing a song entitled, 'I'm getting married to the witch I love'. Within two minutes, they were both back in their wedding robes and turning themselves in circles beside the bed. They wanted Hermione to check whether they were clean and tidy enough but she had to threaten to cast immobilising and silencing charms on them before she could properly answer their question. Even then, George couldn't stop shuffling from foot to foot in his excitement, while Fred was chattering about what had happened the last time a silencing charm had been cast on a Weasley twin.

"There'll be no more of us left to marry off after tomorrow, 'Mione," he said, hooking his arm into George's and twirling his brother around with a new chorus of 'I'm getting married…"

"Imagine that!" she said. "The Weasley twins, both settled down in domestic bliss!"

George stopped dancing and his eyes softened. "I can't quite believe this is happening!"

"Well it is," Hermione told him. "And I'm really happy for you both. And as for your robes," she said slowly, wanting to finish checking before the two men resumed their dance, "you'd pass my inspection, but I don't suppose a laundry charm or two would hurt. Do you know the right ones for dress robes?"

"No," said George.

"But," added Fred, "we know a witch who does."

"And she'd be glad to help you," Hermione said. "I think she likes it when you all go back home because you still need her. Why don't you nip over there now while I take a bath?" She felt simultaneously relieved that this would give her a bit of a break from them, and guilty that she felt relieved. But, she figured, a bit of time on her own would fortify her even more for the busy weekend ahead.

"That's a good plan," Fred said, leaning down to give her a kiss. "I might get another sausage!"

If there was a marauders map of the entire wizarding world, Hermione thought, as she lay in a steaming, fragrant bath just a few minutes after the twins had left, it would probably show the rest of Weasleys and their loves ones scurrying around like mad as well.

And she was right. In London, Percy was trotting back and forth between his attic bedroom and the spare room which he and Penny used to store their clothes, trying on a series of dress robes in turn. He possessed more formal outfits than any of the rest of his family, having taken the advice of an old etiquette magazine for up-and-coming wizards and bought three sets of good dress robes with his first few salary cheques. Penny had called from the kitchen and twice reminded him of Angelina's request that they wear what they had worn to Fred and Hermione's wedding. He conceded only when she called out that, if he didn't want to lick the bowl that she had made the last batch of icing in, she would wash it up so she could finish working on the cake and ensure her own outfit was wedding-ready.

Bill and Fleur had a late start compared to the rest of the Weasleys, having stayed awake under the new moon until the early hours. They had awoken to find themselves still entwined, and it took just a few minutes of stroking each other before they were ready to make love one more time. Afterwards, they chatted softly about their upcoming day before getting themselves and their cottage ready for the stream of visitors that would be coming their way over the next few hours.

Lauren and Charlie also managed to 'sneak in a quickie', as Charlie put it, before they were joined in bed by their son. Lauren was adamant that they should not lock their bedroom door, so they had been perfecting a slow, languorous kind of lovemaking which they could enjoy on occasions when they might find little feet padding their way. One of Lauren's colleagues had told a story at the bar after the last graduation ceremony in which his toddler had appeared in the bedroom while his wife was bouncing rather happily in his lap. The toddler had apparently spent the rest of the day publicly reprimanding Mummy for hurting Daddy. As further evidenced, Lauren's colleague explained, by the loud groaning that had been coming from Daddy's mouth when the toddler appeared. Charlie had laughed upon hearing the story, but he took the point. He cast a charm that would ring a tinkling sound in their room as soon as Elliot got within five feet of the door, and threw himself happily into the study of slow, soft, easily halted lovemaking for when the occasion called.

Fred and George had arrived at The Burrow to find Ron, Ginny and Harry already installed at the breakfast table. They sat themselves down with identical grins, ready to eat a second breakfast, until Molly made them remove their dress robes and put on their old quidditch jerseys so that they wouldn't get food on their good clothes. They complained a little, but more for old times' sake and to make Arthur smile with nostalgia than because they really minded.

Ron, it appeared, had already initiated a conversation with his parents about moving back home, and Molly and Arthur were delighted with the idea, although somewhat less enamoured with the idea of Ginny and Harry living together.

"It's not so much living together, Mum," Ginny was negotiating, "but that I would have a cottage for being Head Girl and Harry could have a bedroom in it. Minerva said there are a few with two bedrooms, designed for engaged couples who will be married within the space of the school year."

"Hmmmm," Molly clearly wasn't convinced.

"You could just wait til you were married," she pointed out, and Ginny nodded.

"That's the thing though, Mum," she said. "It's true we're not getting married til after the beginning of the school year, but if we don't bagsie the accommodation now, we won't be able to swap later. I don't want to live in a dorm once I'm married to Harry; that would be awful!"

"Sharing a cottage before marriage is not the sort of behaviour expected from well-mannered witches!" Molly exclaimed.

"Well, it's a good job I'm not a well-mannered witch then!" Ginny replied. "I could just do a Fred and George and marry Harry NEXT weekend if you like, but you'd miss out on planning and getting excited for weeks ahead of time. Which I thought you wanted to do with me!"

"I'm sure we could reach a compromise," Arthur said, before Molly could reply. Ever the peacemaker. "But perhaps we could put this to one side while George gets married? Ginny, we'll talk about this later." He really needed to have a chat with Ginny and explain that there were some situations in which it might be better to agree to what Molly wanted and then negotiate later. And, at the same time, point out to Molly that Ginny was of age. And, perhaps even more pertinently, she was more than capable of making good on her threat and depriving Molly of the chance to enjoy the run-up to her only daughter's wedding.

"OK Dad." Arthur was the one person who Ginny would tone down her passion for. Mostly because he didn't ask her to do it very often and so, when he did, she knew it mattered.

"Where's Hermione?" Molly asked.

"In the bath. Having some much-needed alone time," Fred said.

"She's eating though?"

Both the twins nodded. "She said thank you for breakfast," said George, omitting to mention to his siblings that he and Fred had already had one breakfast as well.

"OK, well hurry up and finish those sausages, and let's get your robes back on," she ordered. "I have an outfit of my own to sort as well, you know!"

Fred and George both looked at their food and smiled to themselves. If there was one thing their Mum enjoyed more than having them go to her to ask for her help, it was having them go to her and ask for her help and being able to point out that she wasn't permanently on call for them and did actually have a life of her own to attend to, thank you very much.

Meanwhile, above the loudest and most colourful shop in Diagon Alley, Hermione rinsed off the last of the suds, stepped out of the bath and wrapped an enormous towel around her body. Flicking her wand at the door to the roof, she saw that it was sunny and hot, and made her way up there to lay in the sun while she dried. It wasn't like anyone would see her, she thought. She took care to stay away from the edges of the roof though, as Diagon Alley would be full on a Saturday morning and she didn't want to be seen by customers, colleagues or others. Deciding that this might be one of the few chances she got at having some peace and quiet today, she summoned her sewing and spent a happy half hour adding a few stitches to her work.

When Fred arrived back and wandered up to find her, he was so quiet that she was a little startled.

"I didn't want to disturb you, love," he said. "How's your tummy?"

"Better for Mum's potion," she replied. "Lauren was right about that!"

Fred's brows furrowed. "Lauren?" He didn't expect that the muggle woman would have any knowledge of pain potions.

Hermione nodded. "We had a chat about it the other day," she said. "Apparently, their first summer in Romania, she once had awful period pain and Charlie brought her an amazing remedy. When she asked him what it had been, he confessed that he had apparated from her bathroom back to the reserve to bring her some of this," she waved her hand at the bottle, which was positioned on the table, in case she needed more.

Fred chuckled. "Bet she had something to say when she found out!"

Hermione tipped her head from side to side. "I don't know; she seems to just take it all in her stride. Although," she leaned in closer to Fred, "she told me something else interesting that Charlie taught her about period pain, which he learned from Tonks."

Fred's eyebrows flew really high as Hermione began to elaborate. "You're joking!" he exclaimed, in exactly the same tone of voice that he had used when Dumbledore had announced the Triwizard Tournament a few years prior. Hermione couldn't help but smile, remembering how her teenage self had nurtured such affection for the cheeky, flirty wizard who had loaned her his jumper.

"I'm not," she told him quietly, taking her hand in his. She finished telling him exactly what Lauren had told her, and he proceeded to lead her to their bedroom and see if Tonks' advice worked as well for Hermione as it had for Lauren.

It did.

They lay on their bed together, one of Fred's hands curling around her hip as the other stroked their binding cord. He smiled and shared how happy he was that George would know the same kind of magic that they did, making Hermione's eyes fill with happy tears. Then he told her that George had let Angelina know he was at The Burrow so that she would meet him there instead of coming to the flat. "They're going shopping for their own rings and cord," he said, "and I'm going downstairs to sort some fireworks, so you can have the flat to yourself, love."

Hermione pulled a face. "That would be great, but I need to get my dress sorted." She sat up. "But I feel good, after all your efforts, so I think I'll pop over to see Fleur now and then that will be done. Maybe I can have another rest this afternoon, before whatever Ange has planned for this evening."

After a long kiss, the two pulled apart and went their separate ways. Fred had promised to secure all the potions that Hermione had promised to gather for the morning, and Hermione grabbed her bag and a handful of floo powder.

"Shell Cottage!" she called, and stepped out of the floo right into Charlie Weasley's arms.

"Whoah, sorry!" he said. "I should have apparated us to a less busy location!"

"Miney!"

"Elliot!" Hermione held out her arms in response to Elliot's shout and he was passed to her for a cuddle.

"Whoah, it's like Diagon Alley!" exclaimed Bill, giving Charlie a half-hug as he entered his own living room. He leaned in and kissed Hermione on the cheek as well. "Right," he said, "I'm sure you've not got time to waste, so the witches' department is that way," he pointed Hermione towards his and Fleur's bedroom, "and menswear is over here!" He grinned at Elliot and held out his hands. Elliot reached for him, and then wrapped his chubby legs around Bill's waist. Bill lowered his voice a little as Hermione smiled and headed towards the sound of Fleur and Ginny's voices. "Fleur thinks she's got the better deal, because there's more room in the bedroom, but I've got the coffee machine!"

"Oh, good one," said Charlie, rubbing his hands together as the three wizards headed towards the kitchen.

"Welcome!" said Fleur, throwing open the bedroom door in response to Hermione's soft tap. "Bill thinks he has the better deal because he has the coffee machine, but we have..."

"Champagne!" called Ginny, somehow managing to shout in a whisper.

Despite not feeling on top of the world, Hermione enjoyed the hour she spent with Fleur and Ginny considerably more than she had thought she would. Angelina had bought them all simple and easily adjustable dresses from Madame Malkin's, and Fleur simply needed to cast some standard alteration spells to ensure that everyone's dresses fitted well.

"I feel bloated and crap and I have my period," said Hermione, "so please don't make it too tight."

"Oh," said Fleur sympathetically, "well there are charms we can add to make you more comfortable then!"

Ginny and Hermione learned more about spells for womanly comfort in the half hour that followed than they had in all their years at Hogwarts, and both were a bit stunned at how much more Fleur knew on this topic than they both did. "I think perhaps Beauxbatons is good for this kind of magic," Fleur said. "it was a priority for Madame Maxime."

"I'd say," exclaimed Ginny, as she practised the wand movement for a spell which sent waves of warmth rolling across one's lower back. "Dumbledore's priority was throwing Harry and his mates into the line of fire, not making comfy knickers that looked sexy while providing maximum protection for a worry-free wedding day!"

Hermione couldn't stop laughing at that. "You sound like an advert for a new monthly underwear product, Ginny! Maybe you should pitch it to the twins for the shop!"

That had all three of them falling about. The few mouthfuls of champagne, the summer heat, the ongoing relief of the war being over, and the knowledge that their beloved Georgie's dream was coming true all combined to make their laughter bubble out.

"Oh, do you know," Hermione said as they were recovering, "I wasn't sure about going out tonight, what with feeling a bit shit. But, as long as I don't have to walk very far, I'm quite looking forward to it now!"

In the end, though, it was Angelina who changed her mind about having a girls' night out on the Diagon Alley tiles that evening. A few hours later, Ginny and Hermione were sunning themselves on a blanket on the grass outside The Burrow, when Ginny sat up, wanting a better view of what was happening in the kitchen.

"Everything OK?" Hermione asked, not wanting to move and see what had caught her friend's attention.

"Mmmmm," Ginny said. "I think Mum's telling Angelina what she thinks of the idea of a hen do this evening. Hopefully she'll be tactful."

"Oh?" Hermione couldn't get too excited about anything in her current state, but she knew that the Weasleys didn't need a spat between two of their most outspoken women just hours before the wedding.

"Mum thinks Angelina's too tired and should have an early night so she'll enjoy the wedding more," Ginny said, watching the scene unfold through the window. "She's been saying that all day. And I would bet that she's telling Angie that right now. Yes, think we can confirm that. Angelina looks upset." A pause. "Words are being exchanged. Tears are flowing," she commentated. "Mum's replying, oh and hang on," Ginny watched the two women for a couple more minutes before she said anything else.

"Do you think they're OK?" Hermione asked, a bit concerned.

"I think they'll be fine," Ginny sounded reassuring. "Much better out today than tomorrow. Mum's been gunning to say something for the past couple of days," she said quietly. "Angie's been running round like a blue-arsed fly all week. And Mum just wants to take care of everyone and make sure they don't overdo it, but sometimes she overdoes the protective stuff. What's really annoying though," Ginny pulled a face, "is that she's usually right."

Hermione made a 'mmmm' sound.

"Oh yes, here we go," Ginny continued. "Having a cuddle now. Yep, Angie's being cuddled into the Weasley bosom. Snuggling … more snuggling. Oh, and here they come. With tea, if you can believe that. Mum must have had it ready in anticipation."

Hermione snorted in amusement. She thought about sitting up, and then decided against it. She was enjoying the warmth of the sun on her body.

"We've had a bit of a rethink on the hen do," Angie told them. She seemed a bit quieter than usual, but not unhappy. "I've been running around all week, and I've still got some stuff to do today, so I could probably do with not having a late one."

Ginny and Hermione nodded. "Often, in muggle weddings, people have the stag and hen do a few days before the wedding, so there's time to recover," Hermione said.

"Well," Angelina said, "I thought we'd do Pepper Up for that, but I think Molly's right. So we've got a new plan."

"What's that then?" Ginny asked.

"Early afternoon tea and cake in the garden for the girls," Angie said, "with booze for those who want it, and lemonade and tea for those who don't. Then everyone can have their evening to rest in preparation for the big day tomorrow."

Hermione felt delighted, and then a tad guilty. This was the perfect outcome for her, but she hoped that Angelina really was okay with it.

"And then a boozy late night out for all of you when you've all recovered from the wedding and the honeymoon," Molly added. "It's just a postponement," she said to Angelina, "not a cancellation. I'll let the others know," she said. "If you're sure? You can override my suggestion if you want; I've turned over a new leaf, remember!"

"No," said Angelina, "you're right. And I do appreciate you saying something, because I will enjoy the day more if I'm not dosed up on every potion known to witchkind!"

"Alright," Molly patted her soon-to-be daughter-in-law. "Does two o'clock work for you?"

Angelina nodded, and Molly patted her as she began to stand up, clearly planning to leave the younger women alone for a few minutes. She gave Molly a smile. "Thank you," she said. "I do know it's for the best. And," her smile turned cheekier, "it was too short notice to book male strippers anyway!"

"Oh," said Molly, as she turned away. "I think you'd be surprised at what can be arranged at short notice if you put your mind to it, lovely."

Ginny, Angelina and Hermione looked at each other, not sure what to make of that remark, but the conversation soon turned back to the wedding and Molly's odd comment was forgotten.

At about five past two, it all began to make sense, though. While the three young women had sat outside, resting at Molly's insistence, Molly had been busy on her mirrorphone and Arthur had been dispatched to move several comfy sofas in a semicircle nearer to the house than usual. He added small tables for the tea and cake, under close supervision from Molly, who encouraged the three young women to move from their blanket and pick their seats as soon as he had done. Over the next short while, most of the Weasleys and their partners had appeared in the kitchen. Fleur and Lauren came out first, bearing trays of butterbeer, cake and wine, with Alicia, Katie and Luna following closely behind.

"Why has she let all the boys come?" Ginny asked. "Though it's good to see they're being made to stay in the kitchen! Oh, she's got Harry too…"

The reason for that became clear just minutes after Penny joined them on the sofas, after helping Molly to levitate more trays of food and drink outside. Seven men appeared from the kitchen door, laughing and grumbling in almost equal measure, and strode over to Molly's kitchen garden. Charlie, Fred and George were stripping their shirts off in readiness, and Ginny was the first to realise what Molly had done.

"Oh, fuck me," she said slowly. "She's putting on a degnoming show for you, Ange! That's bloody brilliant. Or it would be if six of them weren't my sodding brothers! Still," her voice became quieter as she watched Harry remove his own shirt, "I don't have to look at them!"

"Do you think they know?" Alicia was transfixed by the sight of the half-naked men, although she did a quick calculation and sighed when she realised that not one of them was single.

"Bill does," said Luna, watching the oldest Weasley hurl a gnome and then catch his wife's eye. He gave her a suggestive look, and she raised her glass to him. "Percy, Ron and Harry have no clue, and Charlie and the twins wouldn't care if they did."

"Well I think it's brilliant," Alicia laughed.

Lauren turned to Hermione. "I wonder if this is a symptom of menopause?"

Ginny leaned forward. "Pimping your sons out for a hen do?!"

That got them all laughing, but under their breath, so that the men wouldn't notice and stop what they were doing. They were all rather easy on the eye, after all.

"Whoah, Penny," said Angelina, as Percy raised his arm and swung a gnome around and over his head. "Who would have known that Percy was hiding those muscles?!"

They all looked at him. Sure enough, although his frame was wiry, like the twins and Bill, rather than wider like Charlie, he was more toned than any of them had imagined. Penny blushed. "He works out, you know," she said, a teasing smile on her face.

"Clearly. You dark horse, Penny!" Angelina shook her head with a gentle laugh.

"The twins are more muscular than I would have thought," Fleur murmured, as she admired George's biceps.

"They were beaters, you know?" Alicia told her.

"I did not," the French woman replied. "I am not so much into sport. Still, you are looking forward to your wedding night, Ange?"

"Oh fuck yes," Angelina's smile was wide. "Especially having seen how much the bond affected Fred and 'Mione." She turned to Lauren, though her eyes only left George for an instant. Hermione, she noted, was equally unable to tear her gaze from Fred. "Did anyone tell you that Bill and Charlie had to physically keep them from shagging at the reception?"

"Angie!" Hermione exclaimed, but then she giggled, and explained the bond connection to Lauren and Alicia. "I can't say I mind it at all," she finished, leaving no-one in any doubt as to the sexual benefits brought on by the type of bond that they shared.

"I can't wait," Angie breathed, eyes on George's hips as he turned around again. "I'll have only been away from him for two nights, so I might need tearing away myself. Do all feel free to stop me from making a public exhibition of myself at the reception," she joked.

"And me," Hermione joked. "After all, you know George will end up in our bed tonight. They'll come bouncing in drunk from the pub and George won't want to sleep on his own if he can puppy pile in with Freddie again. So there'll be no sex for me either, if it makes you feel better!"

As the bare-chested Weasley men continued to spin and hurl gnomes out of the garden, Hermione found that she very much enjoyed watching Fred working in just his shorts. "I sort of feel bad about this," she said to Lauren, who was sat on the sofa beside her. "I mean, I wouldn't like it if the shoe was on the other foot. But…" she trailed off, unable to tear her gaze from her husband and his brothers.

"Indeed," Lauren replied, shaking her head. "I know exactly what you mean. Bit of a double standard. At the same time, though, I WILL make sure I'm alone in my bed tonight and Charlie is SO going to get it when he gets home."

Hermione snorted, making butterbeer fly from her nose and causing the other women to laugh.

That caused Charlie and Fred to turn around and, as soon as Fred focused on the bond and felt Hermione's arousal, he realised what was happening and communicated this quickly to his brothers.

"Mum's set us up to be their bloody entertainment," he laughed.

"Right," said George, striding determinedly to a particular point in the vegetable patch. "Let's give them what they came for!" His voice was intended to carry, and it did, causing several of the assembled women to sit up straighter on their sofas.

He bent down and, when he stood, proudly held up the garden hosepipe and began to spray water on himself and his brothers. Percy, Harry and Ron were not really into that game, but Fred, Charlie and Bill began to strike what they considered sexy poses, running their hands over their bodies as George sprayed them and himself with water.

"This what you're wanting, ladies?" Fred asked, stretching his arms into the air and doing a slow twirl under the stream of water, all the while sending waves of desire to Hermione, who by now had barely any cramps after the heady combination of laughter, potion and hormones. She looked at the kitchen window, where Molly and Arthur were stood, alternately laughing and shaking their heads in disbelief. The women clapped and cheered while Fred and George danced together, running their hands suggestively over each other's chests and hips while Charlie held the hose and sprayed water over them both. A laughing Bill shook his head at the three of them and began to walk towards Fleur. Slowly, the other male Weasleys and Harry made their way over to the sofas, and Molly and Arthur joined from the kitchen.

Several of the group spent another pleasant hour or so in the garden, though Angie took her leave rather more quickly, refusing to give wet George more than a kiss on the cheek and reiterating that they would enjoy their wedding day and night far more if they had a bit of time apart. George agreed, and went into The Burrow to get dry. Lauren and Charlie followed, wanting to check on Elliot, and Hermione lay down on her sofa, her head in Fred's lap. They chatted for a while about the upcoming bonding; Fred wanted to ask Hermione for a favour as well as for her opinion on something, but her words grew slower as they chatted. It was another hot day; she was actually glad for the coolness of his wet legs and she closed her eyes while listening to Fred finish their conversation alone and then make plans to meet Charlie, Bill, Harry and his other brothers in Diagon Alley to have a few drinks with George that evening. She dozed off as they were agreeing a time.

By the time Hermione woke from her nap, most of the other Weasleys had left and she was alone on the sofa. She looked up, realising that Fred had slid out from under her at some point and replaced his legs with a cushion. She didn't have to spend long wondering where he was, though. He emerged from The Burrow in some of his old clothes, clearly having had a shower, as he was towelling his hair.

"Ready for your evening out, sweetheart?" she asked, slowly stretching and then swinging her legs down and onto the grass. She would take herself home and have her quiet evening, she thought, relishing the idea of having a bit more time to herself before another loud, fun day with the Weasley family.

"I am," Fred said cheerfully, "but I've got a small problem. I can't find the groom!"


	81. A date, an evening, & a morning surprise

Hello ? Just letting everyone know my plans for this fic over the next few weeks. I have been updating weekly throughout 2019, but am going to take a few weeks' break over the festive season. I hope to finish and upload a Christmassy Fremione one-shot in a few days' time, and then I'm switching off to spend the holidays with my fam. Happy holidays! Hope everyone has a peaceful and love-filled festive season, and I'm sending virtual hot chocolate and Weasley jumpers to those of you who leave happy and appreciative messages and help fuel my writing pixies ? See you in 2020!

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"How can you not be able to find him?" Hermione asked, confused as to how Fred had 'lost' his twin. "His bond is open, and he's transmitting loud and clear."

"He's thinking nonsense though!" Fred exclaimed. "And it's so confusing! He's sad and happy at the same time, and he's thinking about driving a muggle bike to the moon!" He was a bit distressed himself. "You try and tune into him, then, clever clogs!" His tone was soft, but Hermione knew he was worried.

"I know exactly where he is," she said, touching Fred's arm. "Come on!"

After saying a quick goodbye to Molly and Arthur, Hermione apparated herself and Fred into Lauren's garden, where they found Charlie and Elliot playing in the sandpit.

"We've been irregulated," Elliot told them.

"Relegated," Charlie corrected, stroking Elliot's head. "They're on a date," he winked, tipping his head towards the cottage. "Something about needing a couple of hours of big sister time before his stag do. You were both snoozing and we didn't want to wake you." Seeing Hermione sit down in the grass beside Elliot, Charlie scrambled to his feet. Fred was making his way towards the back door and Charlie sensed that this would be too good to miss.

The two brothers crept softly through the kitchen. The house was so quiet that they weren't certain whether Lauren and George were even there. But they were. When they poked their heads into the living room, the first thing they saw was the top of Lauren's mop of curly blonde hair just about visible over the back of the sofa. Even though they could only see the back of Lauren's head, it was immediately clear that she was crying at the scene unfolding on the TV screen. Fred crept forward, pulling a confused face at what he saw on the screen. At least that explained the weird picture in George's mind. His twin's head lay in Lauren's lap on a full-sized feather pillow, which, if the dinosaurs on it were anything to go by, had likely been summoned from Elliot's room. The rest of George's body was curled up along the length of the sofa; his feet poking over the end where he was too long to fit in his entirety. Lauren was gently stroking his hair as he snuffled into a large polka-dotted handkerchief that Charlie recognised as having once belonged to Arthur.

"It's so sad," he said. "Why couldn't ET stay? Or take Elliot with him?"

Charlie and Fred exchanged a glance. Part of them desperately wanted to startle George and then take the mickey out of him. And yet, at the same time, they both knew that being able to cry and release his emotion was an important part of his healing. Perhaps especially on the day before he bonded himself to the woman he loved.

"I know," Lauren replied, still stroking his hair as she sniffed. Clearly neither of them had realised that Fred and Charlie were behind them. George, Fred thought, must be really engrossed in the film not to have picked up the proximity of his twin. "But he has to go home to his family. They probably miss him."

Fred shook his head. Charlie's shoulders were heaving with the effort of trying not to laugh out loud at how cute the two of them were on their 'date'. Clearly they were finding this shared experience very therapeutic. Or else they were on some kind of sugar high, as the empty ice cream container and chocolate wrappers would seem to indicate. Tiptoeing, Charlie and Fred sneaked back out into the garden again.

Ten minutes later, the happy pair emerged from the cottage, hand in hand, and joined the others on the grass.

"I enjoyed that," said George.

"It's a lovely film," Hermione told him, having worked out what they had been watching from Fred and Charlie's description. "I used to watch it with my Dad."

"Is that who Elliot was named for?" Charlie asked Lauren, speaking softly as he nuzzled her hair. "I heard the name in it and you said you named him after a boy in a film…"

"No," she whispered back. "It was a film, but a different one. One from when I was really little. The first film my mum ever took me to see, in fact." She paused for a moment; frowning, and wondering. Was it a coincidence that her favourite childhood film had included a dragon who she had named her son after, when she then went on to meet a dragon keeper and have a son who had a dragon spirit guide? Who didn't look all that dissimilar, if Charlie's tattoo was anything to go by, from the dragon in the film.

"What is it?" Charlie asked.

Lauren shook her head, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the complexity of the questions that were rolling through her mind. "Just wondering about prediction, coincidence, that kind of thing."

"Oooh, divination … Hermione's favourite," Fred teased, making George laugh.

"Arithmancy, much more interesting," she retorted. He pulled a face; arithmancy was much more her thing than his. Hermione turned to Lauren. "One day, if you're interested, we'll have a chat with Minerva. She'd be the best person to answer your questions, I think."

"Oh, I'd like that," Lauren said. "I liked her a lot, even though we only met briefly."

"She'll be at the wedding," George said.

"I plan to be far too tipsy to have sensible conversations at your wedding," Lauren replied. "Now that we have grandparents and all these aunties and uncles in the mix, I've got a couple of years of non-drinking to catch up on, you know!"

"Are you going to dance with me?" Charlie asked.

"Oh, I don't know about that!" Lauren said, unwisely alerting Fred and George to the fact that she was a reluctant dancer, which was like waving a reg flag in front of a couple of overenthusiastic bulls. They looked at each other and Hermione chuckled when she saw the vision that they had shared of spinning the muggle woman between them on the dance floor. She would try and find time to warn Lauren later. Although, if Lauren really was planning on drinking a lot, she might well enjoy it.

Shortly after, the twins and Hermione took their leave, with Charlie promising to apparate to Diagon Alley and meet them in the Leaky Cauldron as soon as he had helped get Elliot ready for bed. Fred and George stayed in the flat just long enough to set out everything they would need for the morning and change their tee shirts, and then kissed Hermione farewell, running loudly down the stairs and out through the shop. Hermione chuckled as she set out all the potions she had promised to have ready for the morning and then settled down on the roof with a pot of tea and her sewing. She took a couple of breaks and, at one point, headed down to the workroom to collect some supplies and put the finishing touches to a new idea. But mostly, she enjoyed the relative peace. For the first time in what felt like days, she had time to sit by herself and process her thoughts. Two or three times she heard loud cheers from some way down the Alley, and smiled to herself as she realised that it was likely the stag do. And she heard several familiar voices passing by on their way to join George. All in, it made her very happy.

A few hours later, she was slightly less happy when, just as she had predicted, two drunk men entered her bedroom, stripped down to their boxers and then joined her in bed. "Why are you getting in on my side?" she asked George. "You're supposed to sleep the other side of Fred!"

Fred simply giggled. Hermione rolled her eyes in jest; he was going to be no help at all.

"He's too hot," George complained.

"You're too hot," Hermione retorted.

"But I love you, you're my wife-in-law and it's our last night of you being the only woman I'm bonded with," he replied, reaching his arms around her and trying to cuddle her from behind, as if that settled things. Crookshanks was looped over her feet and, on her other side, Fred turned over and began to gently reverse his body towards hers so that she would be spooning him. Hermione realised that, if she didn't take action before the three males sandwiched her between them and then fell asleep, she was going to roast.

"Stop!" she said, reaching across Fred for her wand and casting a long-lasting cooling charm over herself. Then she levitated her pain potion onto the head of the bed, giving the pygmy puffs a gentle warning not to interfere with it. She wanted to be able to reach it if she needed it in the night, without having to wrestle a twin to get to it. "OK, now you can cuddle." They both snuggled into her, one either side, and promptly dropped off to sleep. Crookshanks grumbled slightly at the movement, turned around a couple of times, and then joined them.

When she woke, several hours later, Hermione's first thought was of how curious it was that, after the bonding ceremony, George would be the only one of the four of them that would be connected to all three of the others. She wondered if the twins had realised that themselves. The primacy of the first marriage bond meant that she and George would continue to feel each other, and he would also feel Ange through their marriage bond, of course, but Ange wouldn't be connected with her and Fred. Hermione spend ten minutes wondering whether there was an ancient reason for that, and then decided that this was too big a question for a Sunday morning, especially when she had promised George hangover care in return for the loving attention he had ladled on her the previous morning.

She squeezed herself out from between the twins, laughing to herself as the mattress moved and they unknowingly cuddled into each other instead. Having swallowed a bit more pain potion, she took a shower, put on coffee and began grilling bacon for sandwiches. While it was cooking, she settled her beaded bag on the kitchen table and began to load it with things she might need for the wedding. Fleur was going to take all the dresses to the restaurant, so that Angie and her bridesmaids could get ready together in the morning, and Hermione had promised to be there. Pouring herself a cup of tea, she sat at the table and ate her own breakfast, figuring that the twins could enjoy some more time asleep. She smiled as she heard them, even halfway across the flat. Both of the twins tended to snore after drinking, and their breathing was almost synchronised, so that the snores of one sounded like the echo of the other.

Once she had finished and had nothing else to do before she left, she collected supplies and went to administer hangover care to the groom. Sitting on the bed beside him, she stroked George's hand and, when he grumbled at being roused, told him that she had a new product for him to test.

That got his attention, as well as Fred's.

"I made it last night, while you were out," she said, holding up a large ball of chocolate which was nestled in a purple wrapper. "It's a chocolate truffle, with standard doses of hangover potion, a half dose of Pepper-Up and a remedy that will rehydrate you within a minute, as long as you suck it rather than chewing," she said. "Oh, and some raspberry flavour, to hide the taste of the potions. I've made two. Do you want to test?"

Both of the men turned to face her and opened their mouths, like baby birds. Hermione took that as consent and tipped a chocolate into each. "Suck," she reminded them. "I think it'll absorb faster that way."

Ten minutes later, they were both sat up in bed, drinking their coffee and tea and throwing out name suggestions for Hermione's new invention. "It's bloody brilliant," Fred said, scooping his wife onto his lap and kissing her neck.

"I might need to add a breath freshener to it as well," she teased him, declining a snog until he had brushed his teeth and got rid of the stale beer breath. George reached for his wand and then leaned over to cast a breath-freshening charm on his brother, who grinned in thanks before capturing Hermione's lips with his own. Hermione kissed him back with a soft moan but then, realising that she couldn't take this any further, because George was there and she needed to get going, pulled away and raised her own wand. "Accio bacon sandwiches," she said. They duly arrived and were pounced upon.

Satisfied that she had done what she had promised, Hermione kissed them both on the cheek, telling George that she loved him and wished him the very happiest wedding day.

"And as for you," she said to Fred, letting her hand run over his chest. "Well, I'll see you as soon as George shuts us out and we can catch up with each other again." Her meaning was clear; she couldn't wait to be alone with him again.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Going from the relative quiet of the bedroom into the restaurant was somewhat surreal. Hermione hadn't known where else to apparate to, and she hadn't thought to ask Angie, so she had simply taken herself and all her stuff to the restaurant entrance. Phil's staff were bustling around, rearranging furniture, and she could see several chefs chopping meat, fish and vegetables in the central kitchen, which was visible from the main restaurant itself.

"Welcome, welcome!" the older wizard said, enveloping Hermione in a hug. He was more colourful than ever, wearing a red and gold outfit that had been picked as a crowd pleaser for the Weasleys, who had thus far all been in Gryffindor. Hermione suspected that would almost certainly change with their own children. If Hogwarts even kept the house system on, and she wasn't sure if that would be the case in the longer term, given the damage that separation and rivalry had done to their world. She was pulled out of her thought process when Phil began to lead her around, offering a commentary on what was happening. They ended up on a balcony; not the one they often ate on, but another one, slightly higher, which she had never noticed before. It gave a partial view of the edge of the cove that she and Fred had honeymooned in, and a much better view of another, larger cove that was beyond it. Hermione blushed slightly as she recognised the rock that Fred had sat her on and on which she had almost begged him to make love to her on their first date.

"The honeymoon cove you know," he said, waving his arm in its direction, "and as soon as we have stocked the food, then no-one will be able to get or see into that other than Angie and George. Unless they allow it. You know how that works."

"I do," she replied simply.

"And that cove there?" Phil pointed to the much larger area where a whole procession of chairs were being set out in semi-circles. "That's my wedding cove. We'll have the wedding there, and then the reception. We move everything around, depending on what we need. Chairs, buffet, dance floor. Even tents, in case anyone doesn't want to apparate home!" His laugh boomed, as he then told her that they had plenty of sober-up potion as well. "We have a magical lift from the apparition point to the beach, so no-one needs to fly or apparate up, but everything is down there, even a bathroom suite, so the lift is really just for the staff to use once all the guests have arrived."

"It's lovely," Hermione said. It really did look like a resort, with everything on hand, just like the cove had had. She was particularly taken with the fact that a number of day beds, much like the one that she had Fred had enjoyed on their honeymoon, were scattered around the edges, so that people could enjoy watching the sea and perhaps take a break now and again.

Phil nodded. "I want Angie to be happy."

"I'm sure she will be," Hermione said. "She and George love each other very much. He's a good man. And I think having a wedding bond makes for a happier marriage. Truly, I do." Phil didn't say anything, but his eyebrows moved a little and she could see his interest in his face, so Hermione continued. "Fred and I rarely have cross words, because we can sense each other's feelings," she confided to the older wizard. "It's hard to be angry or in conflict with someone when you know they mean well. And Fred and I are both good people, like Ange and George, and we do both generally mean well, even if we have different ways of doing things. The bond helps each of us to understand that. To understand each other."

Phil nodded. "It sounds like a very special kind of connection."

"It is," she agreed, feeling a surge of gratitude and love for the man who, just a few weeks before, had stood beside her and committed to spend his life connected to her, just to save her from the threat of being forced to marry someone who might not have cared for her. If she lived to be a hundred and fifty, Hermione couldn't imagine loving Fred Granger-Weasley more than she did in this moment. And yet, paradoxically, she also felt her love for him growing each day. Her thoughts turned back to the lingerie that she had bought to wear for him a few days prior, and she felt his matching surge of lust as he picked up that thought through their bond. It felt like he was in the shower, and she swayed slightly as she sensed him grin and move his hand over his body, teasing her with the knowledge that he was naked, alone and in a good position to take care of himself.

Smiling to herself and using the skills she had learned from Bill to temporarily dampen the transmission of her emotions and blur the distracting images from Fred, Hermione made a mental note to herself to do more nice things for her husband. He was right; she was often doing nice things for other family members. She wanted to make sure that she put just as much thought into doing nice things for him as he did for her.

"Phil," she said, causing Ange's dad to raise his eyebrows in question. "Can I book the balcony for a romantic dinner for Fred and I next week?"

"Of course you can," he smiled. "Come, we'll go and look at the reservations book, and then I'll show you where to find Angie and the others. Alicia came for a sleepover, you know; it was like having a couple of giggling twelve year-olds in the house again!"

Phil's house was higher up the cliff, but connected to the restaurant by a passage that Hermione imagined was one of George's favourite features. When she stepped out into the large kitchen, her gaze was drawn to the picture windows that seemed to stretch the entire length of the beach-facing side of the house.

"You're here!" Angelina sounded excited, and Hermione was surprised and pleased to see that Molly, Elliot and Ginny were already there as well. Molly had been seated in a place of honour in the living room, and was busy helping Elliot get used to walking in wizarding robes.

"I had Charlie bring him over first thing," Molly told Hermione. "Turns out he needs a bit of practice," she laughed, watching the little boy try to walk in the unfamiliar outfit. Lauren usually dressed him in dungarees or shorts and tee shirts, and he was having a bit of trouble managing the formal clothing.

"Keep looking up, darling," Molly prompted, seeing that the main problem arose when Elliot kept looking down at his robes, making them trail on the floor where he then promptly got his feet tangled in them and fell over. She shook her head, smiling at his lack of co-ordination. Most of her own children had been the very opposite. Even Percy, studious as he was, had been competent on a broom.

"Hoop spell," declared Molly, her eyes lighting up as the idea came to her. "We used to use it for our dresses, back in the day." She cast a spell at Elliot's outfit and the bottom of the robes moved into a circle, whose form held and kept the fabric away from his feet even when the little boy bent down again, this time to inspect a spider which was crossing his path. He carefully picked it up with his fingers and moved it to a windowsill, in a move which, had his mother seen it, would have reminded her of the first time she laid eyes on his father.

"Come on in!" Angelina called from the bedroom door. "I've saved you a slot in the bath; thought you might like it, what with your tummy…"

Hermione was about to tell Angie that she had already taken a shower, thank you. But upon seeing Angelina's bathroom, she decided to keep her mouth shut. The room overlooked the ocean and had more floor-to-ceiling windows. One could lay in the bath and watch the sea without any fear of being seen. Hermione spent more than half an hour in there, enjoying the feel of the hot water on her body and getting out only when Alicia called to say that it was her turn with the witch who had come to do their hair. Applying drying spells and putting on a fluffy dressing gown, Hermione went and sat in the main living area, admiring the others' hair arrangements as she patiently allowed her own locks to be tugged and charmed into an updo which she felt sure that Fred would feel the need to comment on. Angelina sat beside her and gave her a run-down of the plans for the actual wedding, which Hermione listened to carefully; nodding to let Angelina know that she understood where she was to stand and what her role was.

"What time is everyone arriving?" Angelina had finished talking, and Hermione had suddenly noticed that the others were all ready.

"Don't panic, lovely," Molly said. "You only need to put your dress and shoes on. We left you til last so you could have a bit of a rest," she said sympathetically.

"They're starting to arrive now," Alicia said. Her face was pressed to the window. "I can see Arthur," she reported.

"Daddy!" shouted Elliot, who was standing beside Alicia. "I can see Daddy!" Sure enough, Charlie was offering Lauren his arm as they readied themselves to step into the lift down to the cove.

"Then I'll go down," said Molly. "Come on, Elliot, you can come with me. We'll let these ladies finish getting ready and you can sit with Daddy and Mummy til they need you. Is that alright with you?" she asked Angelina, who nodded. The young woman was ready for a firewhisky with her friends now and, although she had no doubt that Molly would approve, she was glad of the chance to spend the last few moments of her single life alone with her friends.

When Charlie and Lauren stepped out of the magical lift, there were so many people milling around on the beach that the normally extraverted couple barely knew where to dive in. Then they spotted Bill and Fleur, who were sitting a little way from the crowds on one of the daybeds that Phil's staff had set up so that guests could sit and watch the waves. Their legs stretched out in from of them as they enjoyed the view. Charlie and Lauren looked at each other, nodded in agreement and then made their way over. As soon as he and Molly stepped out of the lift, just two minutes later, Elliot broke away and ran to join them, while Molly went to help Arthur pick appropriate seats for the ceremony.

Having barrelled into Charlie and then given Lauren a cuddle, Elliot spotted that Fleur was there too. He wriggled himself out of Lauren's arms and ran to his aunt, launching himself onto the daybed to give Fleur a hug. He then lay flat on his tummy beside Fleur. Lauren frowned a little as he turned his head towards Fleur's tummy and gave it a gentle kiss through her dress.

"Hello," he said to her bellybutton, and he gently patted her with his hand.

"Elliot," warned Lauren, as Fleur looked at her friend.

"Yes?" Elliot looked up innocently, his hand still on Fleur's tummy.

"What are you doing?" Lauren asked, trying not to sound as concerned as she actually was by his rather odd behaviour.

"Saying hello," he replied, as if this should have been obvious to his mother.

"To Fleur?" she asked.

"No," he said. "To my friend."

Lauren looked at Charlie. "Is this Inardoe?" she said quietly. Charlie pulled an 'I don't have a clue' face, but he walked around the day bed and knelt in front of the little boy.

"Inardoe's not in there, is he?" He managed to keep his tone light; not quite a question, not quite a statement, but leaving it open to however Elliot would interpret that. He was grateful that Bill and Fleur had been filled in on 'the Inardoe situation', therefore saving themselves a bit of time explaining.

"No, silly," Elliot told him, receiving a slight warning look from Charlie, who was trying to carefully balance his desire to allow Elliot to express himself with his desire to ensure that the little boy also behaved appropriately. "Inardoe's in here," Elliot said, putting his little hand over his own heart. "And there," he pointed to Charlie's shoulder, where his shirt covered his tattoo.

"So why are you kissing Fleur's tummy?" he asked, not noticing the surprised and somewhat excited look that Fleur and Bill were giving each other.

"Inardoe says my friend is in there," he explained. It was all very obvious to Elliot, who couldn't really understand why the adults weren't keeping up.

Fleur swallowed and looked at Bill, her eyes full of hopeful tears. "Do you think…?" She trailed off, not even wanting to entertain the possibility.

Bill immediately took her hand. "It would only be a day or two. How could he possibly know? I can do the test if you like, but…" He watched Fleur closely, knowing how many disappointments they had had and not wanting to spend George's wedding day feeling sad.

Lauren sat down on the edge of the day bed and scooped Elliot onto her lap. "Can you tell me what's happening, lovely?"

"I wanted to kiss Fleur's baby," he said, a bit sad now that he thought he had done something wrong.

"That's OK, lovely. We were just a bit surprised." She cuddled the little boy on her lap. "No-one is cross with you," she reassured him. Then she looked between Bill, Charlie and Fleur. "Is this possible?" she said. "I mean, dolphins can sense when women are pregnant; something to do with their echolocation, I think…"

"I guess we won't know unless we do the test," Charlie said, but he could see that Bill wasn't sure about it.

"Do it," Fleur said firmly. "I shall wonder all day if not and that will be just as bad as hearing a 'no'."

Bill nodded. He wasn't entirely happy about it; he would rather have done this in private, where he and Fleur could cry together when it was negative again, but it made sense. He had no idea where Elliot had got his new notion from, but he had almost given up hope that they would conceive after trying for all this time. Molly had begun to drop hints about it being more likely now that the stress of the war had passed, but Bill knew she was just trying to make him feel better.

"I can ask Hermione or Ginny to do it if you prefer," Fleur told her husband, knowing that Charlie was unlikely to have learned a pregnancy testing spell but that all witches were taught it in their sixth year. That was one thing that Hogwarts had got right when it came to sex education. At least, if one of the girls did it, Bill wouldn't have to watch when it came up negative again.

"No," said Bill, pulling Fleur close to him and wrapping one arm around her while taking out his wand with the other. "I'll do it." He kissed her cheek, whispered the incantation and moved his wand in the spiral shape. Lauren was just about to ask Charlie what they were looking for when she saw the look on Fleur's face as a soft purple light glowed over her lower abdomen.

"Oh Bill!" Fleur wrapped her arms tightly around Bill's neck and he dropped his wand onto her lap as he encircled her waist, dropping more kisses onto any part of her that he could reach while laughing so loudly that Charlie quickly cast silencing and notice-me-not spells around the bed so that they wouldn't attract unwanted attention from the guests that were taking their seats just fifty feet away. If Fleur really was only just pregnant, they might not want everyone to know at this point.

Fleur was kissing her husband back, murmuring his name over and over. Charlie and Lauren looked at each other, simultaneously overjoyed to be a part of this moment and also feeling a little like they were intruding on something very private that really was none of their business.

But it was clear that Fleur and Bill didn't feel that way. Once Fleur had peppered Bill's entire face with kisses, she reached out her hand for Elliot, who didn't need to be asked twice. Scooting off Lauren's lap, he bounced back over to Fleur and allowed her to wrap him in a hug before he escaped to lay with his head on her lap, wrap his own little arms around her waist and press his cheek to her tummy again.

Later in the afternoon, in the traditional space between the wedding breakfast and the evening party, when English people sit around and drink tea in the belief that this will fortify them for the remainder of the festivities, the two eldest Weasley brothers and their partners would find each other again. They would quiz Elliot more about how he knew and what he could feel. And later that week, he and Charlie would have a long dad-son chat about what Elliot should do the next time he and Inardoe spotted a baby growing in someone's tummy. (The answer to which was that he could tell Mummy and Daddy but not anyone else. That trick would work for approximately one pregnancy, until the Weasley women and wives worked out what it meant when Elliot saw them, looked delightedly at their tummy, widened his eyes and then immediately rushed to whisper into Lauren's or Charlie's ear.) For now, the priority was to explain to Elliot that he couldn't tell anyone else about Fleur's baby, and he seemed to understand that.

When the four of them heard Kingsley's voice inviting everyone to take their seats for the wedding, more hugs and whispered congratulations were exchanged and they walked back to the seating area together. Molly watched them walk towards her, noticing that Charlie and Lauren looked slightly dazed as they sent Elliot running towards Phil, while Fleur looked more radiant than ever. She smiled at the seemingly effortless beauty of the French woman. And then Molly saw the look on her eldest son's face and froze.

Molly knew that look.

She had seen it on Arthur Weasley's face six times.

Quickly, Molly smiled and then turned her face to Arthur, not wanting Bill and Fleur to suspect that she knew their secret. She knew they would want to make their own announcement in their own time. But this day, for Molly, was just getting better and better. And the wedding hadn't even begun.


	82. How to marry a Weasley twin

Happy 2020! And here's hoping that it is everything you wish for and more :-)

So Fremione and the Weasleys is back, and we are resuming weekly Tuesday updates. I hope you continue to enjoy this low-angst fluff designed to bring a bit of cheer to difficult times... :-)

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Cheers!" said Angelina, holding her glass aloft and toasting Alicia, Ginny and Hermione in turn. "Thank you all for standing with me. Here's to a great day," she said, bumping their glasses with her own.

"Here's to your happiness, and lots of great sex!" called Alicia.

"Ew," declared Ginny, never quite comfortable with thinking of her brothers in that way. "Here's to your happiness and lots of tiny babies, whose conception will happen immaculately, or at least out of my earshot!"

"Here's to both of you having a long, happy and peaceful marriage, filled with fun and laughter and joy," Hermione added, and all four of them drank their firewhisky down in one.

Just a few minutes later, they made their way towards the magical lift, and Hermione gazed around at the view from the top of the cliff. One of Phil's staff had added a shielding spell just before they stepped in, which meant that the women could see everything, but couldn't be seen by those below. "Phil knows that some brides like to make an entrance," the older witch had smiled as she reached out to tweak a bit of Angelina's dress, which already looked perfect. "He's waiting for you at the bottom. You look beautiful," she told Angie, who gave the young woman a quick hug.

"Thank you, Gemma, but don't you dare make me cry!" she warned.

Gemma waved them off and, as the lift descended, Hermione had the perfect view of the wedding area. The guests were seated in a semi-circle, facing an archway, behind which was the sea. Kingsley was already positioned with his back to the sea and Hermione could see two tall, similar figures, standing beside him. Even without the bond or her ability to easily tell Fred and George apart, she could easily have picked George out; he was hopping from foot to foot, clearly impatient to begin. 'Everything's OK, Georgie,' she thought, hoping that her words would translate into a feeling of reassurance that he could sense through the bond. 'We're on our way; not long to wait.'

She saw him turn and watch the cloaked lift descend. Remembering that he and Fred communicated best in images and ideas, she sent him a mental image of the four of them laughing and hugging as they had said farewell at the end of their recent date night. She was rewarded by seeing a smile cross his face.

Phil was waiting for them as they stepped out of the lift, and Elliot was holding his hand.

"Remember what you need to do?" he asked the little boy, and Elliot nodded.

"Walk beside Miney," he said, "and not talk til Miney says."

"Perfect," Phil said. "And here she is…" Hermione smiled as Elliot let go of Phil's hand and took hers instead. "Are you ready for this?" Phil asked his daughter.

"Never been readier for anything, Dad," she told him.

Phil bowed his head, not trusting himself to be able to say anything else without choking up.

Angelina had decided that Alicia should walk down the aisle first, followed by Ginny. Then Hermione and Elliot would walk down together. Only when they had all reached the front would she and Phil come into view. Angie wanted her bridesmaids to be able to enjoy their few moments in the limelight, and also to be able to see George's face as she walked towards him.

The processional music began. Alicia and Ginny walked slowly in turn, both nonplussed by having everyone's eyes upon them. Hermione was delighted to be walking with Elliot, for many of the guests were watching the little boy who was walking carefully beside her in his new robes, and therefore not focusing so much on her. Hermione still didn't enjoy the limelight, however much she wanted to be close to Ange and George on their special day. She looked down at her nephew, smiling to see how hard he was concentrating on his job of walking in his new outfit. Thanks to Molly's hoop spell, Elliot didn't trip, and they made their way safely to the front, where Hermione stood across from Fred and locked eyes with her husband, whose love for her was pulsing through their bond. She turned to George, feeling his emotion too, and felt her eyes well up as she saw the tears in his.

George Weasley, as his brothers never let him forget, cried the entire way through his own wedding. His tears, Fred would often report through the years that followed, had begun when he had seen Ginny, increased when Hermione and Elliot had appeared, and then flowed freely as soon as he set eyes on Angelina. Angelina's arrival at the other end of the aisle had turned every head, and all the guests had stood for her. By the time the bride had reached the archway, she was also crying, and there had been a short intermission while Fred and Phil had conjured handkerchiefs and Bill had raised his eyebrows and grinned at Charlie, having won the bet predicting the point at which George would lose it.

"Shall we do this?" Kingsley asked them gently, once they had taken their places under the arch and composed themselves. They both nodded, smiling at each other and the Minister. Just as he had for Hermione and Fred's wedding, Kingsley welcomed everyone, invited them to sit, and spoke for a few moments of peace, love, hope and his great happiness at being asked to bond the two people before him.

Angie and George's bonding cord was red and gold, to celebrate the colours of their house and, more pertinently for them, the quidditch robes which had brought them together. They had spent some minutes in Hogsmeade the day before discussing whether it was too much of a cliché, before George had pointed out that it didn't matter whether anyone else thought that, as long as it made the two of them happy. When Kingsley held the binding cord aloft in his left hand and asked the guests to bless it with stars from their wands and imbue it with good wishes, many of their friends and family chose to send red and gold stars, which made a few people laugh good-naturedly. "It seems we're outnumbered by quite a ratio," Kingsley said to Phil, whose responding laugh was deep and hearty. They had attended Hogwarts at the same time and Kingsley had been in Ravenclaw while Phil was a Hufflepuff.

"This cord," Kingsley continued, now looking directly at Angelina and George, "will bind your magic, now and forever. If you wish to be bound in this way, of your own free will, please place your right hands together."

George put his left hand on Angie's waist as they stepped closer together and raised their right arms. They placed their palms together and interlinked their fingers, just as they had watched Fred and Hermione do five weeks before. Their eyes locked and Angie put her left arm around George's back, wanting to give him the reassurance of her own touch. Fred smiled when he saw her bare hand; remembering the mistake that he and Hermione had made, in leaving her engagement ring on. The previous day, when Hermione had been laying in his lap in the garden at The Burrow, he had asked his wife to do something for him on that front. Hermione looked into Fred's eyes and gave him a slight nod, gently turning her right hand, which was still clasping Elliot's, to show him that she was temporarily wearing Angelina's engagement ring. Fred smiled. He had plans for that ring.

As Kingsley began to wind the binding cord around their hands and chant the ancient bonding spell, the atmosphere changed. All of the magical people could feel the magic thicken, and Lauren turned to Charlie, whispering a quiet 'wow' under her breath. She would never know whether the sensations she experienced were in any way similar to what they felt, but she was in no doubt that something reverent was happening to the energy around her. She glanced at Elliot, who was now leaning against Hermione's leg, his eyes unfocused as he stared up at George and Angelina. Hermione had let go of his hand and instead rested her hand on his shoulder, ensuring he wouldn't fall backwards.

"Bit drunk on the magic," Molly whispered to Lauren, by way of explanation. "It happens a lot to small children, especially at weddings and rituals. He's not in any danger," she promised.

Lauren's eyes turned to Fred, as he produced the wedding rings from his pocket and gave them to Kingsley so he could bless them. He offered them to the four directions and, as they were at the beach, turned to the sea and held them aloft to the waves, chanting something she couldn't understand as he did. As a researcher, she was fascinated by the intricacies and rituals of the ceremony. As a woman, her heart melted when she heard George's response to Kingsley's suggestion that he tell Angelina of his love for her as he placed her wedding ring on her finger.

"Angelina Mebili Johnson," he began. "You stunned me from the first moment we met, on the train. My love for you grew, and then one day we danced, and ever since that moment I have never imagined that I would spend my life with any other witch. You are my sun and my guiding light. You're the first person I want to see each morning, and the last person I want to see at night. I give you this ring as a promise that I will live my life by your side and love you always. I want to help you achieve your dreams, travel with you in joy and sorrow, and cherish you every day."

"George Fabian Weasley," Angelina replied, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears as she slipped the ring onto his finger, "it may have taken us a while to get to this day, but from the day you took me into your arms and danced me into a corner so you could kiss me, you have been the wizard I wanted to walk beside me through my life. I give you this ring as a reminder of my love and as a symbol of my desire to bond with you forever. I pledge to create a happy home and family with you, gods willing, to love you through good and bad, and to work with you so that we can both achieve our hopes and dreams."

"I love you, Angie," George said, leaning in to kiss her.

"I love you too, Georgie," she whispered against his lips. Like Fred and Hermione before them, they were unable to resist the swirling bonding magic that Kingsley had called forth to help join them.

"Keep your hands on each other's waists and move closer together," said Kingsley. "If that's possible," he added with a smile, looking at the crowd and eliciting smiles and loving looks from their family and friends as he raised his wand to complete the bonding. It looked as if George and Angie were already as close as two people could get.

As he began the Latin incantation, Hermione and Fred looked into each other's eyes as well. Both longed to touch each other, but knew that wasn't possible right now. Instead, they sent waves of love to each other through their bond, both becoming aware of an unusual sensation as George and Angelina's bond continued to form. They both swayed, and Hermione leaned down and picked Elliot up, wanting the little wizard to feel secure.

"I call upon the magic of the earth," Kingsley finished, "to begin the binding of these two people, now and forever. They have until sunrise tomorrow to seal their bond together and finalise the blending of their magical cores. From that point on, no human, beast or force of nature will be able to break their bond. Love each other, be happy together and know that you will always be supported in this bonding by the magic and the love of your family and friends. Congratulations, Angelina and George."

The happy couple had been softly kissing ever since they had exchanged rings, and they barely noticed the shower of golden stars that sprayed gently from Kingsley's wand as he finished the spell and brought forth the last waves of bonding magic. George and Angie continued to kiss, now a bit more passionately, while their guests clapped and cheered. When they finally broke apart, George turned them towards their guests and encouraged Angelina to join him in taking a bow. Those in the front row could see that they both had dilated pupils and were finding it hard to focus.

"Ten galleons they can't wait until we've all gone home," Charlie said to Bill, who laughed and nodded.

"Fair enough," Bill replied. "I think you'll win, but seems only fair to give you that chance as I took your money earlier! And we're still on for the speech," he said, somewhat cryptically.

"Is there anything you lot don't bet on?" Lauren asked the two of them.

"Not much," Bill said, laughing. "Nothing's sacred when it comes to the Weasley wager, you know!"

She laughed, and turned back towards the happy couple, who were now being congratulated by Kingsley. The smiling Minister kissed Angelina and then shook George's hand, telling them both how honoured he was to have been able to perform the ceremony for them. Still swaying with bonding magic, George pulled him into a hug, making Harry and Ron laugh. George and Angelina barely noticed as Kingsley untied the cord and held it out to Fred and Hermione, who indicated that he should give it to Phil. Phil, in turn, invited Molly and Arthur to stand beside him, so that all three of them accepted the bonding cord together, along with the task – and the honour – of tying it to the newlyweds' bed.

"Are you ready to walk back down the aisle?" Kingsley whispered, and Angelina nodded.

"I'll throw him over my shoulder and carry him if need be," she joked, indicating her husband, who was still rather unfocused.

"Time to go, Georgie," Fred whispered.

George nodded, as Kingsley's voice boomed again. "Fellow witches and wizards," he said, beaming as he looked around the beach. "Please join me in congratulating Angelina and George Johnson-Weasley!"

"Oh goodness," Molly said to Arthur. "Will they all be doing that with their names, do you think?"

Arthur smiled, but it was Bill who leaned towards his mother. "It'll make it much easier to work out who we're talking about if they do," he said.

Angelina began to steer George down the aisle, moving slowly and smiling as she glided through the sea of happy faces and heard the spoken congratulations of their friends and family as they went. Fred held out his hand to Hermione, so that they could follow, and she looked down at Elliot, who was also unfocused. It was clear that he wasn't quite with it.

"May I?" Phil asked, hoisting the little boy gently into his own arms and resting Elliot's head on his shoulder so that Fred and Hermione could follow George and Angie. Phil followed the two of them down the aisle, beaming at guests and clearly delighted to be playing grandpa to the miniature page boy.

When they reached the end of the aisle, Fred caught Angelina's hand and pulled her to one side.

"Before the magic settles and the hordes arrive," he said, kneeling in front of her and giving Hermione a loving look as she knelt beside him, allowing him to remove Angelina's engagement ring from her finger. "I, and my lovely wife, pledge to care for you, to love your children as our own, and to keep George as safe as we can."

"And," added Hermione, catching Angie's other hand in her own, "to always respect the quadruplet agreement, whether or not this," she waved her hand between herself and her kneeling husband, "allows us to get a sense of you through our bond." Quickly, she explained that Fred was hoping that his action would at least allow himself and Hermione to sense Angelina a tiny bit, but they all knew that they would need to wait until after the bond was consummated, and probably another few hours after that, given that the magic might need to settle a bit while Angie got used to the new sensations.

The two of them stood and they all exchanged more hugs, with George continuing to be the most emotional of the four.

"I just love you all so much," he said, the tears still streaming down his face. "I'm so happy that we all survived, and we're all here, and," his eyes cleared of tears for a moment, "we're all fucking married!"

"Oh Georgie..." Hermione took him in her arms and Fred then took them both into his own embrace.

"Come on, soppy bollocks," he told his twin, smiling at Angelina, who was still by George's other side and clasping his hand. "You can't cry your way through the reception as well. You'll ruin the noodles!"


	83. The Receiving Line

"What," said Angie, as she took George's face in her hand and used her right thumb to gently stroke the place where his left ear had once been, "am I going to do with you, Georgie, love?" Her brand-new husband was swaying and tears glistened on his cheeks, painting the evidence of his delight that he was now forever bonded to the witch who he had begun to fall in love with on their very first day of school.

"Chocolate helped us," said Hermione, opening her bag and taking out a small box of truffles which she offered to George and then Angelina, who whispered her thanks before they both popped the treats into their mouths and then leaned together again to resume kissing. At least George had stopped crying, Hermione noted, silently thanking Bill for having helped her and Fred when they were in the same situation. Although, she pondered, her and Fred had had to work to suppress their lust; Ange and George seemed to be experiencing more romantic feelings through their own newly-forming bond.

"Firewhisky helps me," came a soft, laughing voice from behind Fred, and Lauren quietly passed Hermione the hip flask which Henry had gifted her before they left the reserve. "I keep it in my handbag now for portkey emergencies, but this probably counts too," she smiled.

"Molly will be so proud," Hermione laughed, as George took a big gulp and watched with a grin as the flask refilled.

"Thank you," said Angelina again, smiling at George as he used the whisky to fortify himself, and then taking a turn. The bonding magic was engulfing them both and all they wanted to do was to gaze into each other's eyes. But there were people to greet, and lunch and a party to be had, and while Molly, Arthur and Phil had clearly got wind of the fact that the newlyweds needed a few moments to themselves, they weren't going to be able to hold the well-wishers off forever. Ginny and Alicia were still with them, and they – and Elliot – were temporarily holding court at the back of the wedding area.

"Impressive," Fred remarked, indicating that he meant the refilled bottle rather than the kissing couple, and Charlie laughed.

"I've linked it to our bottle at home," he said, cheerfully. "Modified a spell that we use on the reserve to ensure that we can get refills of medicines out into the field quickly if we need them." He nodded to Lauren's flask. "That'll keep refilling until she has finished the bottle!"

"I bloody love magic," Lauren said, beaming. "And I love grandparents," she said, watching Elliot giggling as Phil tickled him. She and Charlie had nipped around the edge of the chairs so that they could take Elliot from Phil, but the two of them had looked very happy together, so Charlie and Lauren had decided to check on the newlyweds instead.

"We ought to get up and say hi to everyone," George said, having regained some control over his emotions. He turned to thank Hermione and Lauren, and that act caused the two of them to breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that he was more in control. He turned to Angelina next. "Are you ready, love?"

"As long as you don't leave my side," Angelina replied, linking her fingers with his and holding his hand firmly.

"Never," he whispered, and was going in for another kiss when his twin intervened.

"Mum!" said Fred, as loudly as ever. "We're ready, I think!"

Molly bustled over quickly, showering George and Angelina with kisses and then making way for Arthur and Phil to do the same before organising the entire wedding party into a receiving line so they could greet their guests as they were finally allowed out of the wedding area and back to the main part of the beach.

Lauren and Charlie discreetly stepped to one side, finding a nearby bench to sit on in case Elliot got bored of the crowds and wanted to join them, and Lauren's jaw dropped as the change in seating arrangements caught her attention. As soon as everyone had stood from their chairs in the wedding area and moved to stand in the line which would take them to greet George and Ange, two or three of Phil's staff had discretely raised their wands, causing each chair to rise in turn and then move itself to a different part of the cove, where a series of tables were set for people to sit and eat at later.

"There's an order to it," she said, almost as if she was dictating field notes to a tape recorder. "Like it has pre-set instructions…"

"It's layered magic," she heard Fleur's voice explain from next to her, and Lauren turned to smile as the French witch joined them on the bench. "You are right; the furniture is already charmed, so that it will behave in certain ordered ways, and the witch or wizard just needs to add a little direction." She shrugged a little, not sure how else to explain.

"It's marvellous," Lauren breathed. She still sometimes had to pinch herself, especially when she saw things like this happen in front of her eyes. She turned to Charlie, smiled, and then took his hand. She didn't think she would ever completely get used to this awe-inspiring, magical world that she found herself in.

Back in the receiving line, all was going well. Molly had pulled Kingsley in between Arthur and herself, and he was enjoying the opportunity to catch up with old friends. Lee, however, was very surprised to see what happened when he and Verity reached the Minister. Having met Kingsley a few times over the past few weeks during their work on the marriage law, Lee was preparing to introduce his friend and colleague to him, but when Kingsley spotted Verity, he pulled her straight to him in a hug.

"I thought that was you I spied back there, pumpkin," he said. "It's lovely to see you, sweetheart."

"It's good to see you too, Kings," she said.

Kingsley pulled back but kept hold of Verity's arms, looking between her and Lee. "And also lovely to see you with this fine young wizard, if I may say…"

"Oh no," said Verity, but Lee butted in before she could finish telling Kingsley that they weren't officially an item.

"Thank you, Sir," Lee said, offering his own hand to Kingsley.

"Now," the older wizard said to Lee. "You take very good care of her, you hear. She's very special to me, you know?"

"I didn't know, actually," Lee replied, raising his eyebrows at Verity. "She's quite a dark horse, you know…" There was a smile behind his glance and, Verity thought, something of a challenge. But she liked that about Lee. He wasn't put off by her need to keep a few things to herself.

"Well, if that's the case, there's good reason for it," Kingsley said, still looking fondly at Verity. "But I've always hoped that, one day, my Verity would find a wizard who was worthy of hearing her story…" He looked up, seeing that a traffic jam of people was forming, and pulled a regretful face, knowing that the young pair needed to move on. Leaning in between them, wanting Lee to hear his words as well, he spoke softly into Verity's ear. "My offer still stands, you know. It's the very least I can do. You just let me know when you're ready."

"I will," she said, squeezing his hand as the two of them moved to greet Fred and Hermione. Verity leaned into Hermione, surprising her with a long hug that was an excuse to compose herself.

"Are you OK?" Hermione whispered into her ear.

"Good," Verity replied. "Fucking hormones!"

Hermione gave her another squeeze and Verity hugged back before nodding and standing upright again.

"Alright there, sexy?" she said to Lee, the edge in her voice letting him know that she had re-composed herself. He also got the clear message that the conversation with Kingsley was off the table as a discussion topic, at least for now.

"Shall we find a table?" said Lee, offering his arm, and Verity took it.

"Oh," said Bill to Hermione, who had come up behind them. "For a moment there, I thought she was talking to me!"

Hermione shook her head. "Not unless you want to fight Lee. They're not together just yet, but the twins aren't taking any more bets. They reckon it's just days now…"

"I don't think you need to wait for your lad, if that's why you're sitting here," Bill said, as he and Fleur left the receiving line and joined Charlie and Lauren on the bench. "Mum's not going to give him up that easily! We could get a good table before the crowds arrive, if you like?"

"That's a good idea," Charlie said, standing from the bench and offering his hand to Lauren. She smiled as she took it. As much as she relished her own capability and strength, not to mention the fact that she had raised their child alone for more than two years, she did enjoy the old-fashioned touches of chivalry that Arthur had instilled in his boys. She knew she would never have been attracted to Charlie if he hadn't also had a strong sense of justice where women and their rights were concerned, but he and most of his brothers, she mused, seemed to embody a good combination of modern thinking and gentlemanly conduct towards the women they loved.

Bill had done the sums, and remarked they needed a table for eight. "Mum and Dad will be on the top table, with the twins and Ange and Mione. Ginny and Harry will be there because she's a bridesmaid, so we should get enough seats for Percy and Ron as well."

"Not for Ron," Fleur said, shaking her head. "He's escorting Alicia for the day, so that neither of them have to sit alone." She had been happy when she had heard that bit of information from Alicia when they were getting the bridesmaids dresses ready. No-one wanted to have to sit by themselves at a wedding.

"Not Luna?" Bill asked.

Charlie shrugged. "They're not a couple, not really, according to Hermione," he said, "and it looks like Luna came with her Dad anyway, as they're such old friends of the family." He nodded towards the blonde wizard, who was waiting in line with his daughter. "But I'm sure we'll all swap seats as soon as we've eaten anyway…"

"May I offer you a drink?" The cheerful voice came from behind them, and Charlie turned and took four champagne glasses from the tray that Gemma offered and handed them out, not thinking that Fleur might not want to drink alcohol. She took the glass from him graciously and then turned to Bill, a question on her face.

"Can we transfigure this without anyone seeing, do you think?"

"Oh fuck, love, I didn't think," said Charlie. "Sorry."

"No," laughed Fleur, "it is not a problem at all. Most important is I don't want anyone else to know right now."

The three of them launched into a conversation about which spell would be the best to use for their purposes. As they debated, Lauren turned and touched the waitress on the arm.

"Excuse me," she said, very quietly. "My friend doesn't want to drink today, but she doesn't want anyone to know that. Can you help?"

"Of course," Gemma replied. "I'll be right back with some sparkling apple juice in a champagne glass and you can tell her that I'll make sure I keep a non-alcoholic option in a wine glass on my tray. I'll be very discreet," she promised.

"Thank you so much," said Lauren, giving the older woman a grateful smile.

"Pleasure," said Gemma. "I was just the same. Nice to keep it to yourselves for a while. Your boy's gorgeous, by the way. Charmed everyone upstairs, he did." She nodded her head towards Phil's house. "Now, shall I take that one when I come back," she asked, flicking her eyes towards the glass in front of Fleur, "or will you just have an extra one?"

"Extra, I think," Lauren said, with a grin. "I'm catching up on all the wine I missed while I was pregnant!"

"You do that," Gemma laughed. "Be right back."

"OK, sorted," Lauren said, turning back to Fleur and interrupting the debate that the two wizards were still having under their breath. "I've ordered you some apple juice, and I'll drink that one when I'm done." Fleur smiled, while Bill and Charlie's eyes widened. "Not everything has to be done by magic, you know. Muggles manage to muddle along quite nicely in many respects," she teased.

"You sound like Mum when the twins came of age," Bill joked. "You don't have to whip out your wands for everything!"

The four of them laughed loudly and clinked glasses, toasting each other. Fleur discreetly set her full glass down in front of Lauren, smiling at Gemma when she returned with a new glass for Fleur.

"This looks like a good party table. May we join?" Percy's voice held a note of amusement.

"Absolutely," Bill said. "We saved you seats."

"Well, and you look like you're planning to have a good time!" Percy said to Lauren, seeing that she now had two glasses of champagne in front of her.

"I'm starting as I mean to go on," she said, raising her glass to him and Penny in turn.

"Lovely wedding," said Penny, and the others nodded.

"The happy couple can't seem to tear themselves apart," said Charlie.

"Again," laughed Bill.

"Was this how Fred and Hermione were then?" Lauren asked, and the others laughed.

"Hmmmm, how can I put this discreetly?" Bill said, but the smile on his face gave away the fact that he had no intention of being discreet. He leaned towards Lauren, very happy to share this between family, but not wanting to gossip loudly enough that other guests could hear. "Fred and Hermione's bond was pure lust. They couldn't keep their hands off each other. Hence the sex bingo."

Charlie's voice was a whisper in Lauren's ear. "They hadn't been physically together before they married," he elaborated, "but they had apparently fancied each other for years. Whereas these two," he waved his hand towards the wedding party, "have been an item for a few years, so their relationship is well consummated by now."

Fleur finished the explanation. "So that, and George's current emotional state seems to have led to their bond being all about romantic love, at least in its first stages," she said.

"Amazing," said Lauren. "I mean, amazing that the magic draws upon what's there." She took another sip of champagne, still wondering how it all worked and feeling humbled by the magical world that surrounded her. All four of them laughed as they watched the wedding party approach their own table, having now greeted everybody, and saw Fred making a meal of helping George to his seat, as if he was unable to make decisions for himself.

"Good job you didn't have to do that for me," Bill remarked to Charlie, who laughed.

"And at least you know that I'll be sensible if I ever need to call on you," Charlie replied, taking Lauren's hand in his own and giving it a squeeze. He still needed to open a conversation about weddings with Lauren, but the time hadn't yet been right. He had already committed to her, and she to him, but he wanted to find out how she would feel about marriage; whether it was something that she wanted or not.

Lauren had no idea what was running through his thoughts, but she had realised the implications of Bill and Charlie's words, and that the Weasley brothers had so far all stood with each other on their wedding days. "So will you and Ron be best man for each other?" Lauren asked Percy.

"Oh, I don't think so," Percy said, giving her a half-smile as he shook his head. "I've always intended to ask Ron to be my best man, and I'm planning to take him out soon and talk to him, but he and Harry are far too tight for there to be room for me when it's his turn." He leaned towards her. "Probably for the best; I'm not much for funny speeches; I'd probably put them all to sleep!"

Lauren tipped her head to one side, not sure how to respond. And then a vision crossed her mind and she leaned closer to him, not wanting Charlie to hear her words. "Well," she said, "I'm not sure that I ever want to get married, but if I ever do, I'll need someone to escort me down the aisle. And not one of these tall buggers who will make me look even titchier," she confided, indicating Bill, the twins and Ron in turn. "So perhaps you would do me that honour?"

Percy simply nodded; a bit overcome by the idea and the gesture. "I'd love to," he whispered.

"Also," Lauren said, her eyes flashing with humour as she sought a way of ensuring that the moment wouldn't turn maudlin, "it will be the job of my escort to explain to all and sundry throughout the day that I am not being given away because I am not property; I am merely seeking the love and company of a brother to walk beside me."

Percy put his hand on his chest, smiling now. "It will be my pleasure to prepare an argument worthy of presentation to the Wizengamot!"

"So, Percy, you two next?" Bill had leaned forward, having missed the exchange between Percy and Lauren.

Penny and Percy looked at each other. "I think so, probably," said Penny. "Though we need to talk with Ginny and Harry and see what they want to do. Theirs will be the wedding of the year, and we'd like something quieter and more family-focused, so we need to sort dates with them. It would be nice to either get in before the end of the summer or wait til the spring though," she said.

"Although we may not have the luxury of waiting," Percy added, pulling a face.

"Oh?" Bill turned to his brother with one raised eyebrow and a smile, wondering if perhaps he wasn't the only Weasley who would be adding a grandchild to the family.

"Nothing like that," Penny replied, seeing exactly where Bill's mind was going.

"No," said Percy, wrinkling his nose. "Now isn't really the time, but things aren't really going quite as Kingsley wants them to. His plans are going well, but," he lowered his voice, not wanting to be overheard and have his words spoiling George's wedding day, "the Wizengamot are making it more difficult than we thought. As you know, there are only five days left now until the ball, which is the date of their ultimatum, and I honestly don't know if we're going to manage to convince them in time. We could end up with a marriage law after all…"


	84. Creating the Weasley Bedtime Story

Sometime during the Christmas dinner which occurred in the winter after George and Angelina's wedding, someone noted that their wedding had been the venue for several momentous family events. It was the occasion on which the final and pivotal plans for the attempt to resist the marriage law had come together and been shared amongst the Weasley family and their friends. And, as someone else pointed out a few years later, it was the source of the Weasley grandchildren's favourite bedtime story.

And both of those things were true.

Fred and Hermione's wedding had been a celebration of a passionate and yet previously unknown love between two people who found themselves amidst a whirl of uncertainty and had determinedly chosen to bond themselves while they still had the chance. The wider conversations had contained much concern about the potential upcoming marriage law but, at that point in time, their wedding guests had had little information and even less ability to know what might be done to stop it. All they could do was support Fred's effort to marry his love before the threatened law could affect her.

George and Angelina, by contrast, were less desperate about cementing their own bond but no less determined to resist any attempt to bring in a law which would prevent others from making their own decisions in their own time. In the five weeks that had passed since Hermione and Fred had bonded themselves to each other, a great deal had been learned, many steps had been taken and, perhaps most importantly of all, a plan had been made.

The hub of activity, for once, was not the top table, but the one at which the three elder Weasley sons and their partners were sitting. Soon after they had realised that Ron would not need a seat with them, and just moments after Percy had dropped his bombshell about the pressure being applied by the Wizengamot, Lee and Verity had come strolling over.

"Can we join you?" Lee had asked. "Seems like a good base for operations," he remarked with a grin. He admired the ocean view which was, thanks to Phil's clever use of raised decking, visible from every table on the beach.

"Do," said Bill, smiling warmly. "You can catch us up over lunch," he said, and that was exactly what Lee planned to do.

As food was served and everyone loaded their dishes and began to eat, the table's occupants filled each other in on what had been done and what still needed doing. Percy explained what he knew, Bill asked key questions, Lee filled in gaps and Lauren's eyes grew wider as she realised – for the first time – the full extent of the problem that they were facing and the fact that it might potentially threaten the structure of her newly-discovered family.

"Bill and the twins are OK, because they're legally married," Verity said in reply to Lauren's question about who could be affected. She spoke a bit more airily than she might have done had she thought the implications of her words through. "Percy and Penny are engaged, and the Ministry are aware of that, so they're alright. Ginny will be too, as far as the rest of the Weasleys are concerned. It's those who aren't who need to worry. The law could come in very quickly and those who haven't taken the opportunity while they had the chance might find they are matched with someone they didn't choose." Verity shrugged. She was fighting the injustice of this with everything she had; she didn't have time to worry about the implications for herself or anyone else at this point. To do so would, in her eyes, be admitting defeat before they had even tried.

Lauren turned to Charlie, a note of concern in her voice. "Are you at risk, Charlie? Could you be forced to marry a witch as a result of this?"

"We're hoping it won't come to that," said Percy, earning himself a warning glance from Bill before Charlie had even had a chance to speak.

"I'm not going to let that happen, lovely," Charlie said, putting his fork down and taking Lauren's hand in both of his own. He stroked her fingers. "I'll make sure we're together, sweets, don't worry."

"It sounds like you might not have a choice, come Friday night, or Monday morning," Lauren replied, a little more sharply than she had intended. She turned to Percy, looking between him and Bill. They seemed, as far as she could see, to be the most knowledgeable on this subject. At least as far as the legal issues were concerned. "Could Charlie be forced to marry someone else as a result of this law? Even though we have a child?"

Bill looked her straight in the eye and nodded. "It's possible." He sighed. "Unlikely, given Elliot, but possible. The Wizengamot is our parliament and high court, rolled into one. It's old fashioned, in dire need of reform and, while that process is underway, wholly unpredictable. I'm sorry, love. You've had enough to cope with already, I know. You and Hermione both."

Lauren raised her eyebrows at that and gave a short laugh that wasn't really a laugh at all. "Everything else aside, I think Hermione and I are going to need to spend most of the autumn and winter knitting on a sofa somewhere, just to process everything that has happened."

"I'm going to take care of you," Charlie said, still focused entirely on Lauren. He was gently rubbing her hands with his thumbs, wanting to reassure her that the strange world that she had found herself in wasn't going to tear them apart just as soon as they had found each other again.

Lauren looked slightly exasperated at that. "I know you will, Charlie, but it's not me who's at risk here, is it? They can't compel me to marry anyone. I'm a bloody muggle, for fucks sake. I'm not under their control. It's YOU who's at risk here. It's you who needs taking care of!"

Lee and Verity exchanged a glance. They had wanted to join the Weasleys for the purpose of making things better, but now they both felt that they were intruding on a private family conversation. But before either of them could excuse themselves back to the buffet table, Lauren spoke again. "My sister's never going to let me forget this," she muttered. "Two and a half bloody weeks. Excuse me," she said, pushing her chair back from the table and reaching for her handbag as she stood up. "I need to go to the loo. Clear my head. Won't be long."

Charlie quickly lifted his napkin to his lips and dabbed at them, ready to go after her, but Fleur's hand stopped him. "I will go," she said, and Charlie nodded. Lauren and Fleur got on well and he trusted that his sister-in-law might be the better person for Lauren to talk to on this occasion. The last thing he wanted was to end up having his first argument with Lauren as a result of his hot-headedness.

The fact that the wedding breakfast was being served buffet-style meant that nobody paid any attention to the two women getting up and slipping away from the table, even when Lauren reached back for her champagne glass; a gesture that made Bill and Verity exchange a smile. Lauren and Fleur headed away from the buffet tables and along a boardwalk which led behind a group of large boulders.

"It'll be OK," Bill said to Charlie, who pulled a face in response. "It will," he urged.

"I bloody hope so," his brother replied. "I can't lose her, Bill, not after waiting this long to find her again."

"Can you not just propose? Or am I being really thick here?" That was Lee.

Charlie sighed, at the same time that Bill shook his head. "Not that straightforward, mate," Charlie told him. "Lauren's not really the marrying kind. In fact…" he sighed again, pausing to gather his thoughts. He had the utmost respect for Lauren's position, and he wanted to convey it in a way that would get Lee and the others to respect it too. "Well," he continued, "in her world, she's just as focused on injustice and putting things right as we have been in ours, but in a different way. She teaches about how muggle women are often treated unfairly, compared to men, and the history of marriage is a great example of that. Historically, marriage made a woman the property of a man. So … honestly, I feel that proposing marriage would be really insulting, given that I know how she feels."

Percy pursed his lips with a slight frown. He wasn't sure that Lauren's perspective was quite as black-and-white as Charlie thought, given her earlier comment to him about walking her down the aisle if she ever married, but then he didn't know Lauren that well yet. Perhaps she was just being nice to him earlier. And Percy had definitely learned over the years that it was often better to keep his mouth closed unless he was sure of something. He made a mental note to have a chat with Lauren later; perhaps he could help in that way, once Fleur had helped Lauren to calm down.

Wanting to take Charlie's mind off things and make the most of their planning time together, Bill led them back onto a conversation about the Ball and the plan that Lee was leading, whose aim was to demonstrate against the bringing in of a marriage law. It had been decided that only a handful of people – principally members of the Order of the Phoenix and those closest to them – should know the full plan, lest anybody decide to try to thwart it. So Lee and Verity, who were perfectly located in the bustle of Diagon Alley, and less likely to be suspected because they were not Weasleys, had become of key importance in the resistance. And even Kingsley was unaware of the full extent of the scheme that they, Hermione and the twins had come up with. It would all be put into action this week and unfold on the Friday evening, just a few days away.

As the brothers discussed what else needed to be done, Charlie began to relax a little. Surely, he told himself, the Ministry wouldn't break up a couple who already had a child and who already talked about having more together. It wouldn't be logical or fair. But the Wizengamot weren't always logical or fair, a voice in his head whispered back; that was a good part of the problem. No amount of self-talk could stop his mind and heart from racing, and he barely noticed the taste of his food until, a few minutes later, he saw Fleur and Lauren walking back towards them, hand in hand.

Seeing the look of concern on Charlie's face, Lauren leaned forward to give him a kiss as she sat back down. "It's OK," she whispered. "I'm OK," she reassured him.

"I'm so sorry that this is happening," he whispered back.

Lauren nodded. "I know." She squeezed his hand, and then looked around the table. "I need to ask you all a favour. Will you please agree to keep the conversation we're about to have a secret? Only between the eight of us?"

"Of course…" Their whisper was unanimous, and Lauren glanced around, reassured by the looks on their faces. Verity made a little cross over her heart with her finger, and it made Lauren smile to see the muggle gesture. She was beginning to realise that there were some key differences between muggleborn magical folk – or at least those who had a muggle parent – and those who had only ever known the magical world, and she thirsted to know more.

Lauren turned back to Charlie. "Charlie," she said, and then she stopped and frowned as if something had just occurred to her. "Do you have a middle name?"

Charlie grinned. "Septimus," he said. "After Dad's dad."

"Septimus?" Lauren sounded delighted to hear that. "Fuck me!" she exclaimed, making Bill laugh loudly, and causing Fred and George to look over their way.

"She's just found out Charlie's middle name," Bill called over, wanting to ensure that they didn't charge over to join in the fun.

"Wicked!" The twins spoke in unison and then laughed, before turning back to their own table companions.

"Right, I'll try and keep it down," laughed Lauren. "And I'd better be quick," she noted, seeing that most people were starting on dessert and realising that it would soon be time for the best man's speech, which could scupper the conversation. "Charlie … Charles," she corrected, "Charles Septimus Weasley," she giggled as she spoke his name, making Charlie laugh too, and then composed herself. "Well, it's really simple actually." She looked into his eyes and whispered, "Will you marry me?"

Charlie's gasp was immediate, but Fleur's silencing spell had already taken effect. Knowing what was about to happen, she had cast it around the entire table, ensuring that no-one outside of the eight of them would hear their conversation. Hopefully, she thought, anyone who passed them would think they were planning for Friday evening and didn't want to be overheard.

"Don't jump on me!" Lauren warned him with a laugh. "I don't want anyone to know! Except Percy, the Ministry representative who is witnessing our engagement." She turned towards him. "Hope you don't mind, Percy? Fleur thought it would be best if I asked Charlie here so I would have a formal Ministry-employed witness?"

"I'm delighted to serve," he said with a bow and a smile. "Though you do need to formally accept Lauren's proposal for this to be an actual engagement, Charlie!"

Charlie took Lauren's face in his hand and turned it back towards his own. "But you don't believe in marriage!" he exclaimed softly. "You think it's old fashioned and contains sexist elements and isn't necessary in this day and age…"

"Yeah, that's all true," she nodded, and then turned to the others. "I don't have any judgement about what anyone else does," she added quickly, focusing especially on Penny and then looking back at Bill. "It's just not something I ever wanted for myself. No offence…"

"None taken," said Bill. "Don't worry, love."

"You'd do this for me?" Charlie said, his eyes growing misty as the enormity of what Lauren was asking suddenly dawned upon him. "Despite your views?"

Lauren took her hands fully into his. "I'm not suggesting we become the third couple to marry this summer," she said, crossing her eyes and eliciting a laugh from Bill and Lee. "Or that we do anything big. In fact, if I'm honest, I still don't particularly want to get married, if that doesn't sound too confusing. I'm already planning to stay with you forever without the need for rings or an aisle or any of that." Charlie nodded. That was what he had thought.

"Then what's changed? Why are you doing this?" he asked softly.

"I'm not willing to risk losing you again, Charlie! And if that means us getting engaged and me committing to marry you in front of witnesses, then that's what I'm here asking you to do." Charlie's eyes boggled as Lauren's fingers wandered down the front of her dress and she seemed to be fishing about in her bra. Carefully turning so that only those at the table could see what she was doing, she held up two brightly coloured hoops of plaited embroidery thread for Charlie to see. He smiled. He knew that she always carried her sewing and a tiny pair of scissors in her handbag, and it was very Lauren to have manufactured her own jewellery while she was chatting with Fleur. "Fleur offered to loan us her engagement ring for a few days, until we get one of our own," she said. "But I thought these would be fun, and apparently we can make them invisible once they're on. Are you watching, Percy?" she flickered her eyebrows up and down, teasingly.

"I am," Percy said, smiling, and Charlie allowed Lauren to push one of the loops of thread onto his finger before giving him the other, which he placed carefully on Lauren's finger. He took even more care not to move in such a way that would let anyone else – especially Molly or Ginny Weasley – see what was going on.

"Yes." Charlie looked at Lauren and then Percy, who smiled and nodded, "I will absolutely marry you, Lauren Bennett, whose middle name I don't know either." In lieu of sharing it, Lauren leaned forward and kissed his lips. "Are we keeping this a secret?" Charlie asked.

Lauren nodded. "Just between us and our table friends for today," she smiled at the others before looking back at Charlie. "If you're OK with that?" she asked. "I do want to protect you and make sure this law can't affect our family, but I'm not in the market for more pressure. I don't even want Elliot to know just yet," she said, and then she rolled her eyes and chuckled, "Inardoe willing…"

"Yeah, he's a bit of a loose cannon, our Inardoe…" Charlie raised his eyebrows and chuckled.

"I'm still adjusting to what's already happened…" Lauren continued. "Fleur said she can put the rings under a spell so no-one else can see them … at least for now."

Charlie nodded. "Totally. Just … one question." He looked at Percy, who nodded and then looked away, ensuring his attention was elsewhere once he sensed what his brother wanted to ask Lauren. "Is this just for show … because of the law?" he whispered. "Just so I know…"

Lauren looked at Charlie for a long moment, her heart beating quickly. Then, slowly, she shook her head. "No," she said. "Not if you don't want it to be. Just give me a few months to adjust and let us figure out where we're going to live and get settled and then we'll talk about it … OK?"

Slowly, the biggest grin spread across Charlie's face. "OK," he said. Then he looked around the table, whispering a thank you to Fleur, who simply tipped her head to one side and then cast a disillusionment spell on their linked hands.

"I'll explain how it works later," Fleur promised Lauren, who was trying to feel the thread that she now couldn't see.

"Congratulations," Verity whispered, tipping her champagne glass in the very slightest of movements so that nobody else would notice. Lee winked as he lifted his own glass and did the same.

"Nice one," he said. "Can't believe I get to keep a Weasley family secret from the twins. Bloody brilliant," he joked.

"Don't get too excited about that," Lauren told him. "It'll be a matter of hours before I tell Hermione. It's just the rest of the world I don't want knowing."

"And Mum," said Bill. "Definitely best not to tell Mum just yet. And when you do, make sure she's clear that you're planning a long engagement."

"Unless you want to wake up one morning covered in flower samples and fabric swatches," Fleur smiled.

"Actually," Lauren replied, "I rather like the way that those four have done it." She flicked her eyes discreetly towards the top table. "Wham, bang, thank you Kingsley, and it's all done in a weekend," she laughed, turning to Charlie. "Maybe we'll plan it all out, invite your Mum over and then just present her with a hat to wear…"

"Love," said Charlie, "you could tell me you want to get married while we were circling the garden on my broom and I'd go along with it if it meant spending my life with you!"

"Ha ha ha, Charlie Septimus," Lauren said, poking him in the chest. "You and your bloody broom fairytales!"

Percy and Lee opened their mouths at the same time, both about to point out that, as a previous quidditch seeker and Gryffindor team captain, Charlie would probably really enjoy getting married on a broom, but Bill's warning hand and teasing face stopped either of them from speaking. He widened his eyes, giving them a look to let them know that he would explain his action later, and made a mental note to do so. It really was time that he and Charlie got their heads together and found a way to surprise Lauren with the knowledge that they really weren't joking when they told her that witches and wizards were able to fly about on brooms. She remained utterly convinced that they were teasing her with the muggle storybook myth of magical folk using broomsticks for travelling around.

"Actually," Lauren said, snuggling into Charlie's side, having decided that she preferred a cuddle to a dessert, "this is rather fitting, you know?"

"Hmmmm, how's that?" he asked, his eye caught by a movement from the top table which made him realise that the plates were being cleared and Fred was getting ready to take the floor.

Lauren lowered her voice and leaned even closer to him. "You know I used to lecture about how the story books do so much harm in the way they portray romance and marriage? How it's really unhelpful to teach girls that their role is to make themselves pretty and to be nice and wait to be picked by the sexy dragon keeper who rescues them and rides them off into the sunset to marry them?"

"Mmmmmmm?" Charlie was nuzzling his face into her neck, intoxicated by her scent and still getting used to the idea that they were secretly engaged.

"This is much more how it should be. Fab woman works hard at cool career, travels the world and gets a PhD. She lives life on her own terms and then rocks up with her equally fab French witch friend to save the sexy dragon keeper from the scary marriage law. That's a MUCH better bedtime story for our daughters." She laughed; clearly delighted with her thought. "I'll write it out for you one day so you can read it to them."

"I love you, Lauren Bennett," said Charlie, dropping a kiss on her curls.

"I love you too," said Fleur. "Can I have a copy for our daughters as well?"

"And me!" exclaimed Penny.

"You do realise you're all shagging Weasleys, right?" Verity asked, keeping her voice down as Fleur remembered she needed to remove the silencing spell that she had placed over the table during their conversation. "Your odds of having a flock of daughters aren't that good," she joked. "You're going to be reading this bedtime story to lots more wizards than witches, you know!"

"Even better," whispered Lauren, as Fred took the floor to begin his speech.


	85. The Best Man's Speech

"September the first, nineteen eighty-nine was a Friday," Fred began. He had been looking forward to making a best man's speech for ages and was smiling broadly as he stood up and addressed their friends and family.

"Damn!" said Bill, under his breath, handing a five galleon note to Charlie, who pocketed it with a flick of his eyebrows while still holding Lauren's hand in his lap and stroking her ring finger with his thumb. Bill had been convinced that Fred was going to begin his speech with a 'lend me your ears' joke and Charlie was happy to have taken that bet. He was equally certain that Fred had become more sensitive than that since marrying Hermione, and it looked like he was right.

"It was the day that Forge and I first boarded the Hogwarts express," Fred said, "and also the day that I first felt the pangs of romantic love. Not," he touched Hermione's shoulder to illustrate his point, "that these came from my own heart. No, my own poor heart would have to wait another couple of years before the witch of MY dreams would arrive at platform nine and three quarters." He pulled a sad face, making some of the assembled guests laugh.

"You were hardly pining away," came a voice from near the back of the room. "I seem to remember you two had managed to get a detention before you even got off that train. Something to do with using soap from the train toilet to make a Slytherin prefect slip over onto his bottom?"

Fred turned, simultaneously shocked and delighted to see who had spoken. "Why, Professor McGonagall," he said, a look of wonder on his face. "You're heckling me?"

"It makes a nice change, doesn't it, Mr Granger-Weasley?" she said, laughing as she acknowledged the amused and impressed looks of those around her with a small bow. "I'm done now," she said, showing him the palms of her hands in a gesture of surrender. "The bride and groom suggested I might like to turn the tables on you after years of having you heckle me in the classroom and at meals, and it was too good an opportunity to waste."

Fred blew her a kiss and gave her a bow before continuing. "Well yes, and in fact my story will explain why that happened, my dear lady, and it will illustrate why, like on so many other occasions," he raised his eyebrows and gave Molly a meaningful look. "some of our punishments were really rather unjust! But let me get back to the story, so I can tell it in order," he said, pausing to look at a scrappy piece of paper that he was holding in his hand. "Oh yes, so the Hogwarts Express was where I felt the first pangs of romantic love…"

"But no," he paused dramatically, clutching his hand to his chest to illustrate his point, "the pangs were not from my own heart." He took a breath, enjoying creating a bit of suspense among the wedding guests. They had mostly finished their meal, although a few were still nibbling on desserts and the foil-wrapped mint chocolates that Phil had charmed to stay solid even under the warm July sun. His staff were discreetly mingling with bottles of champagne, wine, butterbeer and juice, refilling the guests' glasses so that they would be ready to toast the bride and groom at the end of Fred's speech.

"George and I had found a carriage and were busy swapping chocolate with Lee, who would go on to become our right-hand man." Lee saluted. "We were just getting to know him and talking about where he came from when we saw a tiny girl outside in the corridor in muggle clothes. She was being questioned rather aggressively by a Slytherin prefect about why she wasn't sitting in a carriage. Before we could do anything, another tiny girl came out of the carriage across from ours and began telling the prefect off." He pointed to Angelina, lest anyone not understand who he was referring to.

Fred grinned and launched into his best impression of Angelina. "'You should be nice to her, she's new,' said the newcomer, who then pulled the small muggle-dressed witch into her own carriage. And George Weasley," Fred swept his arm towards his twin, "ever a sucker for a commanding woman who stands up for the weak and the tongue-tied, fell in love." He brought his hand over his heart and pretended to swoon, causing Hermione to laugh under her breath, earning herself a suggestive wink from her husband.

A few of their guests were heard to make 'awwwww' noises under their breath, and that fortified Fred for a slight change in pace. He had been looking forward to making a best man's speech for ages, and he did love having a roomful of people to address. There was nothing like the buzz that came from making a crowd laugh or react in some way, and Fred relished the feeling.

"Not," he continued, rolling his eyes this time, "that young George would actually DO anything about his growing love. For five years," he added, holding up his hand with his fingers and thumb spread and pausing again for effect. "Five. Whole. Years. And a bit more, because it took him til nearly Christmas of our sixth year. Five years of mooning over her. Five years of composing owls in his head that he never sent. Five years of looking at Valentine chocolates in Honeydukes that we all knew he would never buy."

Lee gave a snort at that one, clearly remembering how their joke shop time had been reduced by George's unacted-on feelings. "Five years of lagging behind at quidditch because he always wanted to make sure that she was on the pitch OK. Never mind," Fred joked, "that she's fifteen times more capable of looking after herself than he is," he winked at Angelina.

"You'd better believe it," she told him, with a laugh. Fred smiled at her and then looked at Hermione again, who was watching him with a soft look in her eyes. He returned her smile with another wink, just for her, before turning back to his audience.

"If I wasn't bonded to the bugger," Fred continued, "I might have made Lee swap with me and be his twin years ago. But," he touched George's shoulder and shrugged, "he was quite nifty at getting us out of the messes that I got us into, and we're a good team," he looked more serious for a moment, "when we're allowed to work together." George snorted, as they both remembered how, on two key occasions when they had been forcibly separated against their better judgement, George had lost an ear and Fred had nearly been killed by a falling wall.

"So I kept him, despite his inability to make a move on this wonderful woman, and then one day, my opportunity came. Georgie was too nervous to ask Angie to the Yule Ball, but he was terrified that someone else would. So I asked Angie, as many of you know, and used my charm and superlative dancing skills to dance her into the arms of my twin while I went back to an empty bed."

"Oh, you're so noble," Hermione joked from beside him.

"That wasn't quite how it happened though, was it?" Angelina asked.

"Bloody hell!" Fred pulled at a face at his audience, who laughed to see it.

"I love how this speech has been written to highlight your bravery and my inaction," George laughed. "But can I just point something out?" George was laughing as he got to his feet and addressed the crowd. "For those of you who don't know and who didn't get to hear MY best man's speech a few weeks ago, Freddie fell in love with Hermione in his fifth year and he ALSO spent years not acting on it until I pretty much proposed to her for him!"

Fred's laugh was loud and long, and as he held his hands up in a gesture of guilt and surrender, their guests chuckled along with them. The two brothers fell into a hug which warmed the hearts of all of those present.

"How did it happen then?" Bill called.

Fred looked at Angelina, who nodded. "I don't mind," she said.

"OK," he said. "Well, Angelina came rushing up to me at the end of the lesson and said she needed to tell me something. I followed her to the library," he paused pointedly, pulled a face of pretend disgust and then looked at his wife. "The library! I've only ever been to the library for you and Angie, you know!"

Hermione patted his arm reassuringly. "Don't worry," she said, waving her arm at the assembled guests. "Your secret's safe with us! And it doesn't seem to have had any lasting ill-effects!"

Minerva McGonagall turned to the other professors who were sitting with her and muttered. "Perfect. They're absolutely perfect together, the two of them. I'd never have predicted it!"

Filius Flitwick leaned forward. "I've not ruled out retiring the year their eldest turns eleven, though!" and the other teachers nodded, laughing softly together.

"So," Fred was saying, "we get to the library so we can 'talk'," he made scare quotes with his fingers, for emphasis, "and Angie's all worried because she needs to tell me something, and I'm thinking, oh no, please don't let it be that she fancies Roger Davies or somebody, because I really don't want to deal with sad Georgie! And she gathers up all her courage, just like on the train…" He paused for effect, chancing a look at Angelina, who was watching him with a look of amusement, her eyes letting him know that she would be happy to step in if he strayed too far from the truth. "And then tells me she's really sorry, but I'm not the twin she fancies!"

"I was so terrified," Angie added, standing up to help Fred in his explanation. "I thought Fred liked me and that we were going to end up in some horrid weird love triangle thing. And," she turned to smile at Molly, "I was really worried about what you would think if they came home and told you about me!" The younger generation chose not to look at each other when they remembered the howler that Molly had once sent Hermione.

Molly waved away Angelina's words, choosing not to remember the howler herself. "I tried not to think as much when it came to those two and their love lives," she joked. "I'd already had enough school letters about Bill and Charlie kissing witches on remnants of fabric stolen from my rag bag! Thank the gods for Percy's sense of decorum which gave me a few years of respite in between; that's all I can say!"

That just about brought the house down.

"I don't know whether to take a bow or be embarrassed at my failure to kiss as many girls as my brothers did," Percy called out loudly, making the laughter continue. Fred laughed too, happy that his speech was going well overall and perhaps also a little jealous that his mum and his unfunniest brother had both got a bigger laugh than him. Seeing the happy looks on everybody's faces, he decided just to be happy that the whole thing was going so well.

"Can I just say," Fred said, "that Angelina said on that day that she loved me as a friend," he grinned.

"I did," Angelina confirmed.

"She was the first non-mum, non-Ginny woman who ever said she loved me, and she told me she loved me before she told Georgie she loved him," Fred reported happily to his smiling audience, who obliged him with a collective 'awwww'. They were thoroughly enjoying themselves, and Fred's speech. "And," he sniffed and pretended to wipe a tear for effect before clasping a hand to his heart, "I'll always have that!"

"Oh for goodness sake," said Angelina, leaning over to give him a hug. "I could have told this story three times by now. And even if I hadn't fancied Georgie, you were so clearly in love with Hermione anyway. At the Ball, I was purely a cover so you could watch her over my shoulder and make sure that Viktor didn't do anything you didn't approve of…"

"Which wasn't anything," George added with a laugh.

"Are we ALL making this best man's speech?" Fred asked, rolling his eyes when George, Angie, Molly and Hermione all chorused a 'yes' in reply. But Angelina bowed and then retook her seat, indicating with her hand that he had the floor again.

"Well," he said, trying to look petulant but failing, by dint of his massive grin, "I feel my thunder has been taken from me here. Suffice to say that I confessed George's interest, and told Angie that mine lie elsewhere. I explained that I had asked her because I was afraid that he wouldn't, and some slightly awkward teenage conversations took place and in the end we sort of both took Angelina to the ball. Georgie didn't ask anyone, and we all took turns dancing and somewhere in there Georgie found his courage, I don't remember the details, but by the morning, they were a couple, and that's the important thing!"

A round of applause broke out, and Fred smiled.

"OK," he continued, once the noise had died down, "I have lots of other stories that I could tell you about these two. Unfortunately, some of them – like the one about the time that Oliver went back to the quidditch changing room and got more of a surprise than he bargained for – can't really be told in company."

At that, Molly gasped, Angelina and George looked worried, Oliver laughed uncomfortably, and Phil guffawed. "I don't want to know," he said.

"Neither did Oliver," joked Fred, winking at their friend. "We still wonder if that has anything to do with his preference for wizards over witches!" He skipped out of the way of Angelina's hand just in time to see Oliver laugh heartily. "Now, now," Fred warned Angelina, with a glint in his eye. "You should save that for tonight!"

Oliver clapped Fred's comment. He had spent the last week being very outspoken about the rights of gay witches and wizards in relation to the marriage law, and Fred knew that Oliver would be glad that he was reminding others of the importance of difference.

"It's a good job I love him," Angelina said, turning to Hermione.

"I know just what you mean," the younger witch replied with a laugh.

"Here's the really important bit, though," Fred said, looking more serious. "Because as much as Georgie and I love to joke around and cause mayhem, we're both soppy buggers at heart who need the love of strong women to keep us grounded. That's probably Molly Weasley's fault," he joked, giving his mum a loving look. He saw a tear form in her eye. "If you've been chased by a raging woman with an enchanted wooden spoon as often as Georgie and I have been, you're going to need to make sure you have a wife who's going to stand up for you and be in your corner." He touched Hermione's shoulder again, and she reached up to stroke his fingers with her own, as Molly gasped and called his full name, generating another laugh.

Fred basked in the laughter, nodded to his mum and then swallowed, readying himself for the next thing he wanted to say. For all the joking, he was feeling rather emotional himself, although that was probably in part due to feeling George's love through the twin bond. "In all seriousness," he said, watching people begin to reach for their glasses as they sensed that he was nearing the end of his speech and moving towards making a toast. "I couldn't be more delighted to know that Georgie has somehow managed to snag Angelina; the talented, clever witch who he fell in love with on the Hogwarts Express when he realised she was a Gryffindor ever before the sorting hat did. Please join me in raising your glasses and wishing them the happiest of lives together."

Fred paused, as a loud scraping of chairs indicated that everyone was rising to their feet and holding their glasses aloft. "May your lives be filled with love and happiness, with peace and joy, and maybe one day with the pitter patter of tiny, world-class quidditch players, the like of which Gryffindor House has never seen. To Angie and George!" He raised his glass to both of them, drunk deeply and then put it on the table, embracing the both of them as their guests repeated their names and cheered their own toast.


	86. The family day bed

Although their bonding ceremonies had been almost identical, George and Angelina's wedding day differed from Fred and Hermione's in a number of ways. Angelina had had a few extra days of planning time, not to mention a magical venue and an entire staff at her disposal. The flow of the day had been planned ahead of time – although even Hermione wouldn't have changed anything about her own day – and the fireworks didn't begin until it was actually dark.

It was a nice change, Charlie remarked to Lauren, that Phil had staff to serve drinks and food; he explained that this had been his job on Hermione and Fred's day. Her reply had been that perhaps the two of them should find a way of making use of the additional time that he had on his hands, and simultaneously celebrate their impromptu, secret engagement.

Which meant that they were the first couple to sneak away and make love on a secluded part of the beach during the lazy, lovely afternoon that followed the wedding breakfast. But, although the size of the beach meant none of the couples happened upon each other and discovered their idea wasn't unique (until Christmas, when it would all come out over an eggnog-fuelled conversation), they weren't the only ones to think of this.

Bill and Fleur nipped off to celebrate their happy news in the same way that they had created it, and afterwards to have a brief chat about when to tell the others. In any other circumstances, they would have planned to wait, but the threatened marriage law meant that such information was potential leverage. They softly agreed to try to find a time to tell both Molly and Arthur and Fleur's parents during the week, so that they could add their joy to Kingsley's statistics.

Hermione pulled Fred off to one side not long after, casting a notice-me-not spell over both of them before taking him into the next bay. She led him towards the flat rock on which they had sat while he had given her a ring at the end of their first date. They had, on that occasion, pressed themselves together while they shared secrets, kisses and plans but then, reluctantly, decided they needed to cool their ardour and save themselves for their bonding night.

"I've wanted to do this with you here ever since you kissed my scar," she told him, weaving her fingers through his soft red hair.

"But your period, love," he said; a look of concern on his face. "I don't want to hurt you…"

"It's OK," Hermione replied, all business now as she tugged at his robes, trying to undo his belt while leaving his upper robes on. "Fleur's taught me all sorts of spells," she said. "She's not quite as uninhibited as your sister when it comes to conversation," she remarked, adding a quick laugh and apology when she saw Fred's response, "but she knows so many things that we were never taught."

"So I'm going to benefit from some of this, am I?" Fred's voice was deeper as he watched Hermione press her wand to her own body, temporarily removing her knickers as well as adding the charms that Fleur had taught her.

"Mmmmm hmmmm," she said, using his shoulders to pull herself up on him and then sink down gently."

"Fuck!"

"Fred…" she sighed.

"I bloody love weddings," he replied, as he gathered her bottom into his hands – not an easy feat given that she was still wearing her bridesmaid's dress lest anyone decide to take a walk in her direction – and began to rock himself gently into her warmth.

"Really?" George said, with a lewd wink, when the two of them strolled by him half an hour later. "You couldn't wait til tonight?" He had been looking out for them ever since he felt Fred re-open their bond, unable to resist teasing Hermione about her continued ardour for his twin. He and Angelina were still attached at the hand most of the time, but a good lunch and a couple of drinks had enabled them to separate now and again without feeling ill.

"You've been in my bed for the last two nights, George Weasley," Hermione told him quietly, trying to adopt a frown as she punctuated her words with gentle pokes to his chest. "Depriving me of my conjugal rights with my husband," she whispered, and then a giggle broke out. "Besides, you're hardly going to be in a position to cast stones over the next few weeks!"

"Why would I want to cast stones, Hermione?" he asked, looking at his wand and genuinely confused by the reference to the muggle saying. She simply laughed, broadening her smile when she saw Angelina heading their way.

"Never mind," she said, and he realised that she was a bit tipsy from the champagne and, perhaps, the pain potions that Fleur was supplying her with. "I'm going to go and join in over there," she said, indicating the two large day beds which had been pushed together and on which Molly, Arthur and their two eldest sons and partners were all sitting. All six of them were leaning against the backs of the beds, looking out to sea as they chatted. Naturally, Fred and George felt the need to break away from Hermione and Angelina as they neared, so that they could take a run up and jump onto the other ends of the beds, causing the occupants to be bounced about a little.

"Afternoon, family!" George announced as they both prepared to leap into the air and land on the beds. However, they hadn't noticed that Elliot was taking his afternoon nap, surrounded with a silencing charm and with his head resting in Fleur's lap. Wanting to ensure that he stayed asleep, Arthur and Bill raised their wands simultaneously, stopping the twins' momentum, holding the men in mid-air for a moment and then gently lowering them onto the bed. Lauren gaped, Angelina and Hermione laughed and Molly began an admonishment but stopped when she saw how happy George looked. Each of the twins settled themselves against the foot of a bed, their back to the ocean, and Angelina curled into a ball, mirroring Elliot's position as she lay her head in George's lap.

"Oh, that looks comfy," Hermione said, immediately adopting the same posture with Fred but in the opposite direction, so that she could see everyone. "What are we discussing?" she asked.

"Actually," said Arthur, "we were just beginning a conversation about where Charlie and Lauren are going to live."

"Which I don't know," said Lauren quickly. She was also a bit tipsy, and this wasn't a conversation that she was really ready for. "I don't mind talking about it," she added, not wanting to be difficult. "I just don't know."

"It's handy that you two are here," Arthur added, "as this concerns you as well. And Ron," he said, looking around. When he failed to spot his youngest son, he turned back to the others. "Well, who knows where he is; I'll find him later… But I've been explaining to Lauren that Bill inherited Shell Cottage and that, even though we never had very much in the way of material wealth, we do have a good bit of land, of course. And we've got enough to give some to any of you who want it. If you want to build a house, that is."

"We know that Percy and Ginny don't," Molly said. "Percy wants to stay in London and doesn't want any of the land. And Ginny says that, as long as she can keep her bedroom in The Burrow for when they visit, that's all she wants." Molly turned to Lauren. "Harry owns several properties," she explained, and Lauren nodded in response.

"Are you talking about the fields behind the pond?" Fred asked, and it was Arthur's turn to nod. Hermione looked up at Fred, trying to gauge how he felt about this possibility. The flat above the shop was fine for them for now, but they both knew it wasn't a long-term option and certainly not a place for a family. Hermione hoped that the shop would do well enough for them to keep the flat to themselves and not have to rent it out, though. She enjoyed the roof garden and it would be lovely to be able to keep going up there for lunchtime visits and perhaps to turn it into a sort of holiday residence for any family members who wanted to stay in Diagon Alley after a night out rather than apparating home.

"Yes. We reckon there's room for three good-sized houses, each with an acre or two, or we could make plots for four or five smaller cottages that each had a more modest garden," Arthur explained. He looked at Lauren, excited to share these thoughts with her. He and Molly had been discussing this for two days now, and they were both hoping that this would solve the question of transport for Lauren. They could put a floo into a property on Weasley land, and getting to The Burrow – from where someone could apparate Lauren anywhere she wanted, even if Charlie wasn't around – would be a quick floo journey or, if the weather was good, a five-minute walk around the pond and across the garden.

But as Arthur's excitement grew, Lauren's stomach began to churn in resistance. She listened to him explaining that the bit of land on which they could build wasn't far from one end of the muggle village, if she wanted to be a part of village life. He then went on to share his fantasy of enlisting his sons to help build a covered trail so that Lauren and her kids could walk to The Burrow in comfort, even if it was raining outside.

It was Fleur who noticed that Lauren had begun to look sad as Arthur continued to wax lyrical about his plans, and Fleur who put her arm on Arthur's shoulder, urging him to take a breath so that she could indicate the problem. In the meantime, Charlie had scooped Lauren into his arms, and Fred and George had each reached out to cradle one of her feet, wanting to her them know that they were there. Such a gesture soothed them, and Lauren found herself huffing a small chuckle at the beauty of their simultaneous action.

"I'm not trying to be difficult," she said quietly, looking upwards and blinking rapidly in the hope that this would stem her tears. It didn't. Bill silently conjured her a large white handkerchief and handed it to her, enabling her to blow her nose. "Really, I'm not. And you're so generous. But this has all been a bit much. I know we have to solve the transport issue," she continued, "and I'm not really that attached to the village that I live in, but my cottage has so much history for me, and I'm not ready to leave it." She paused, as the tears overcame her for a few moments. Of those present, only Charlie, Bill and Fleur knew that she had, just hours before, proposed marriage to Charlie, and that she was still adjusting to this change.

Lauren allowed her tears to flow for a few moments and then turned to Angelina and George. "I'm so sorry," she said. "I should have held off a bit on the wine. I really don't want to bring tears to your wedding day."

"Piffle," said Molly. "It's not a wedding until you've had tears and a bit of family drama!"

"Yeah, and you've got a long way to go to beat the kind of drama that Uncle Bilius used to create," Fred said, with a shudder, making the others laugh.

Lauren smiled through her tears, reaching out to stroke her sleeping son's hair.

"I bought my cottage with the money my parents left me after they died," she explained, "and it was my dream house. Elliot was born in the living room. It's my sanctuary." Her tears fell faster. "And I know it's stupid, but my little cat who I grew up with is buried in the garden, and there's a fruit tree that I planted over Elliot's placenta. I'm not ready to leave that all behind."

Molly looked at Fleur and then Angelina and Hermione, all of them realising that this was likely the culmination of all the emotion and change that Lauren had experience over the past two or three weeks. Lauren was taking some deep breaths, every apology that fell from her lips met by a reassurance from Charlie or one of the others.

"You don't have to move anywhere, love," Molly reassure her. "I'm sorry we brought it up. We didn't realise…."

"I know," Lauren said quickly. "I don't think I realised how strongly I felt until today." She gave a little laugh, blowing her nose again before looking at Fred. "I don't suppose you've got chocolate, have you?"

"Oh, I do!" Hermione nudged her bag towards Fred, who sent his hand in, rummaged around for a bit, rolled his eyes and then reached for his wand instead.

"Accio chocolate," he said, getting a laugh from those around him. He passed the box around, insisting that Lauren took three and that another be placed in Mr Rabbit's paw under a cooling charm for when Elliot awoke.

"That's definitely better," Lauren said, taking a moment to wipe her face, blow her nose a few more times and then apply some moisturiser, an action which always made Charlie remember their time in Romania with a fond smile. "Well, now, I honestly hadn't realised how strongly I felt about that, and I actually really appreciate that I've learned something about myself. So," she added with a smile, wanting to show them that she really did feel better by lightening the atmosphere and making a joke, "unless you can magic my cottage and garden onto your land, I'm going to stay put just for now, thank you!"

She smiled, squeezing Molly's hand and patting Arthur's. "But I have my phone," she pointed to her handbag, "and I'm going to invite everyone over to the cottage during the course of this next week so that you will all be able to apparate to me whenever you want to, and hopefully that will help the situation. In fact," she added, looking over at Molly and making Arthur's eyes light up with her next words, "I was wondering if the two of you would like to come over for dinner tomorrow evening? I'll come and pick you up in my car if you like, and you can have the full muggle experience!"


	87. The flying cottage

Bill looked at Fleur and then Arthur before turning back to Lauren with a smile. "When you say, 'unless we can magic the house onto Mum and Dad's land', what do you mean?"

"Oh," Lauren laughed, grateful that Bill was playing along with her joke. "Well," she said, "so what I was thinking is, if you could all come over with your wands," she let go of Molly's hand, so that she could use it to illustrate her words, "and sort of cut out my whole cottage and its foundations," she made a rectangular shape with her imaginary wand, "down about six feet, like a great big bit of turf," she widened her arms to show the scale of her dream, "so you get all the things that are buried on the land and important to me. And the plants that we took from my mum and dad's garden, and the apple tree and Elliot's sandpit and my shed and everything. You can leave the fence," she said, amusing herself with the idea of making a small concession in the midst of her unachievable vision. "I'm not attached to that."

Seeing that Fred and George were grinning and clearly enjoying her fantasy, Lauren then began to move her imaginary wand sideways. She enjoyed having an audience just as much as Fred did, which was partly what made her such a good lecturer. "And then you can cut out along the bottom and get all the pipes and wiring and shit. I don't know how plumbing and electricity works but, hey, this is all magical so it doesn't matter. Obviously, you'll need to be on call to mend any worms that get injured in the process," she told Charlie, laughing at her own joke. "And then," she made a spiral shape and addressed the twins with the next bit, "you put it in a big net like the one Charlie used to move your products to the shop, but bigger of course, and you fly it on your broomsticks to The Burrow…"

Lauren chuckled, and ate her last chocolate. She was really enjoying herself now, and feeling much better, especially as she had managed to get a broomstick reference in. She looked around at the Weasleys, not wanting to offend them by going too far in her making fun of magic, but their faces all held friendly smiles, so she felt safe to continue.

"And then you dig a big hole in the space at The Burrow," she said, making more pretend wand movements, "and drop it in. Oh," she added, "although the cottage won't be big enough for when Charlie and I make more babies, so perhaps you could dig a hole that's about one and a half times the size and you can put an expanding cottage spell on it when you get it to The Burrow and before you put it in its hole and reconnect all the pipes and electrics and all that."

Lauren turned to Charlie, completely missing the amused glance that Hermione and Angelina shared after catching the look of delight on Molly's face. She hadn't missed that Lauren had talked about 'when' she and Charlie had more babies, and not 'if'.

"That might buy us a year or so," Angelina whispered, making Hermione laugh under her breath.

"What do you think?" Hermione whispered back.

"About babies?" Angelina frowned. The two of them had already discussed this.

"About living in the grounds of The Burrow," Hermione mouthed, not wanting anyone to hear.

Angelina's nose wrinkled, very slightly. "They already love the idea, don't they?" she asked Hermione, who gave the tinest of nods. Tomorrow morning, Angelina thought, feeling a little skip in her tummy, she would be privy to George's thoughts and feelings too, and she wouldn't have to reply on Hermione's bond with Fred. "Do you?"

Hermione moved her mouth into a gesture of uncertainty. On one level, she totally loved the idea. But she and Angelina both knew that there was a danger that Molly would interfere more than they might want. She didn't know how to reply in a way that would make sense without drawing attention to them, but Angelina seemed to pick that up, and she stretched her hand to adjust the bottom of Hermione's bridesmaid's dress and then pat her leg in a sisterly gesture that clearly said, 'we'll talk soon'.

Lauren was still waxing lyrical. "We'll probably still need to add another couple of bedrooms down the line," she was telling Charlie, who nodded seriously, "and I'd like an office in the garden, bit like your dad's shed, but none of that is urgent. Rome wasn't built in a day," she giggled.

"Will you want the electricity and plumbing reconnected, madam?" Bill asked, in his best impression of a muggle tradesman. He used his own hands to mime writing on a clipboard, delighting Lauren.

"Yes please, Bill," she laughed in reply. "I'm not ready to go completely off grid, thank you. So you'd perhaps better put us at the village end of the pond, and then," she waved her hands in the twins' direction, "Hermione and Angie can have their houses next door to each other with us on the end. And Ron, of course, if he's coming too."

Hermione and Angelina exchanged another glance. Angelina looked concerned, thinking that they had better have their chat sooner rather than later, before this was decided for them.

"She thinks it's a joke," Hermione whispered.

"Anything else, love?" Charlie asked, dropping a kiss onto Lauren's head.

"Mmmmmm, I don't think so," Lauren said. "Oh, well other than my own floo, of course. I'd like a floo please," she said to Molly, "so I can go places without someone having to carry me. And I can pop over for tea and to knit with you. Though maybe we should add on a new magical sitting room somewhere at the back, and then I can have muggle guests and my sister visit without any fear that people will suddenly appear in the fireplace. And, that way, we can keep the log burner to have cosy muggle evenings and also have the floo for when we need it."

She stopped talking, realising that she was in danger of getting carried away by her own imagination. Her fantasy wasn't possible and, while it was one thing to try and lighten the mood, she didn't want to go so far that she would experience a greater crash down to earth when she realised that none of this could never happen; that she would one day have to give up the property that she so loved if she wanted to move closer to Charlie's folks, which in every other way would improve her life. The one thing she could take comfort from here was the knowledge that she and Charlie had enough money between them to give her the time that she needed to adjust to the idea of leaving her beloved home.

There was a long pause, but not an uncomfortable one. Then Bill spoke, turning to Arthur.

"We'd need to get permission from the aurors' office to sort out the ramifications of leaving the space in Lauren's village," he said, matter-of-factly. "Can't leave a bloody great hole behind."

"Indeed," agreed Fleur. "Memory modification would be out, as too many people will have seen it over the years."

"What if we built a second identical cottage at The Burrow first, though," said George, after a slight pause, "and then swapped them?"

"Oh, that's a brilliant idea," said Arthur. "That would solve several problems in one."

"Good thinking, Georgie," said Fred.

"It would also mean we needed two teams of keepers, though," said Charlie. It didn't occur to him in his excitement that Lauren wouldn't know that dragon keepers specialised in flying giant cages around the world. Nor did he think to explain that they flew under spells of invisibility cast by aurors, curse breakers and other specialist witches and wizards. "Although, I could lead one and Piotr could lead the other; it's not impossible." He turned to his mum and grinned. "We'll need a lot of cake!" he joked, and she beamed in response.

"That's hardly a problem," she laughed.

Angelina leaned over so that she could whisper directly into Hermione's ear. "We need to find some way of insisting they all wear their dragon hide leather trousers," she winked. She spoke a little louder, wanting others to think that their earlier whispering had been along the same lines.

"Oh, Gods, yes," Hermione breathed back in reply, widening her eyes and making Angelina laugh.

"Oi!" said the twins in unison, good-naturedly protesting the fact that their respective wives were planning more entertainment for themselves and their sisters in the shape of fit men in leather trousers.

"We've only been married a couple of hours," George added, making Angie turn and give him a loving, sexy look which just about melted him. He leaned forward to caress her face, making Fred roll his eyes.

"Fat lot of good you are today," he snorted.

"Oh, you two!" said Molly to Hermione and Angelina. "You'll give me another hot flush!" she joked, fanning herself. Secretly, she was delighted at the way in which each of her mischievous twins had found a witch who wasn't afraid to joke around themselves and, when needed, go head-to-head with them.

A curious look crossed Charlie's face as he also contemplated Fred and George and the witches who were still snuggled in their laps. "Actually, if you four were up for visiting the reserve for a training day, I reckon we could add you to half a team. Your bond communication would be really useful."

"I'm not much of a flyer, though," Hermione reminded him.

"Easy," George shrugged. "We'll pair you up with Ginny, or maybe Alicia. They can fly you and you can help move the house. They're both well used to being in a team with the twins and Ange. And if Fleur and Bill warded us for invisibility, with Harry and Ron joining a team each just in case…"

"It's only at the point of swapping that we'd need two teams, anyway," Bill interrupted. "Although," he paused for a moment before continuing, "perhaps not even then. If we put muggle hoarding up around the existing house with some building signs on it, we could bring the original cottage to the quidditch pitch and there's enough space at The Burrow to do the enlargement and manoeuvres overnight and have the new house back in Lauren's village by sunrise the next morning. Mum and Dad could easily hold things steady from the ground," he said. He knew that both of the elder Weasleys would love to be involved, but would prefer not to be racing around on brooms these days.

Fred grinned. "Wow, Mum. Overnight catering for teams of dragon tamers and a few curse breakers; that sounds like your idea of a good time!" He sat up and did his best impression of his mother. "We're going to need more fairy lights," he said, waving an imaginary wooden spoon in the air.

Molly swatted at him, laughing loudly. "For that, Fred Weasley, you can be last in line at the pumpkin soup!"

Lauren's mouth was open. Were they teasing her, or just going along with the joke? Surely such a thing couldn't actually be possible, even with magic.

"You'd need someone like Seamus for the electricity and plumbing," Hermione added. "But he's just started his company and I bet he'd give us a great rate just because of the kudos of having such a stunning project under his belt."

"Don't worry about the budget though," said Charlie. "Especially if we put another cottage back where the existing one is; we can rent that out. I want to pay everyone fairly," he said.

"Wait!" said Lauren, using her hands to push herself up into a full sitting position.

They waited. It was a good half a minute before she took a deep breath and then spoke again.

"Are you saying that this might actually be possible, or are you playing along with me?" She spoke slowly, catching as many people's eyes as she could; trying to read their thoughts.

It was Arthur who answered. "Not only is it possible, my dear; it would be our pleasure."

"It would take some arranging, mind," Molly added. "We would need to help you pack up the contents of your cottage first, I think. Especially if we're going to apply an enlargement spell; you don't want to find all your furniture has grown in size!"

"Crikey, she can't reach most of her kitchen cupboards as it is, she won't want them any higher," Fred teased, and Lauren reached down to gently pinch the fingers that were still holding her left foot. But she was smiling as she did it. She loved Fred's brotherly teasing about their height difference just as much as he did.

"We can help you pack by magic," Angelina said. "So it would only take a few hours. Don't let Fred and George help with that, though! I saw the state of their school trunks!"

"Hey," said George softly, stroking her hair. "We hold the Gryffindor speed record for packing, you know!"

"You might well do," Angelina replied, "but you do not hold the Gryffindor record for having everything arrive in the same state in which it left!"

Hermione caught Lauren's eyes. She still felt a little responsible for having brought Lauren into the magical world, and was slightly worried about how her friend was feeling. "It is quite possible," she said, hoping to sound reassuring, "if you'd like to do it. But it will take a bit of planning, like Arthur says, so you don't have to make any decisions today." She remembered how Fred's constant reassurance in that direction usually helped calm Lauren's mind. "And," she stroked Fred's arm absent-mindedly while she talked, "we'll help you pack well so nothing will be broken.

The penny had now dropped for Charlie, who realised that he had some explaining to do. "I know it might sound crazy," he said, "but between us, with such a large family, we have all the expertise we need. Dad would need to lead the extraction magic," he added. When Lauren looked confused, he replicated the movements she had made with her imaginary wand. "You know, cutting the cottage and land out like a big bit of turf," he smiled, and she gently swatted his chest for making fun of her.

"Won't there be lots of red tape?" she asked.

"That's what Percy's for," Fred grinned. "He fucking loves red tape!"

Molly shot him a warning look for language, pointing her finger towards Elliot, and Fred pulled an apologetic face.

"Sorry, Mum; I'm just excited," he said, looking slightly sheepish.

"Dragon keepers are used to moving big objects to different locations," Charlie was telling Lauren, "so I'll manage that bit. Dad is the wizarding world's expert on enlarging bits of houses and adding rooms, and Fleur and Bill and Harry and Ron can all support the moving team, in different ways," he grinned. "And, as you've now heard, we can borrow or buy in any manpower and expertise that we don't have from other friends. We can do this, love. If it's what you want. Not overnight, and not next week, but we can do it."

"You have a think about it and tell us if and when you'd like to go ahead," said Molly, patting Lauren again. "We need to get this week done and dusted first, and help Kingsley," she said, "and I don't know what the autumn holds, but if it's what you'd like, I should think we could have you in by Christmas."

There was a pause, and then Lauren's voice was quiet. "I feel terrible," she said. "I'm really sorry."

"Why?" Charlie sounded surprised. "You have nothing to be sorry for!"

"I was making fun of you all when I suggested it," said Lauren, looking a bit sheepish, "and I never even imagined that you could make that dream come true. Now I feel silly… And sorry that I took the piss."

"You call that taking the piss?" Molly's voice held a note of laughter as she spoke quietly to avoid Elliot hearing her. "We've all had twenty years of Fred and George Weasley, lovely." She rolled her eyes affectionately at her twins. "If you want to offend us, you'll have to do better than that!"


	88. Dancing with Auntie Minnie

The song that George and Angelina had chosen for their first dance began with just a few drumbeats and then a perky 80s synthesiser introduction. A huge smile crossed Hermione's face when she immediately recognised it.

"Is this their song?!" she asked Fred. "I remember it from when I was little!" she exclaimed happily.

He nodded eagerly, pulling her to the edge of the dance floor. "Ange introduced George to muggle music when they were first dating, and they fell in love with this song. Used to sing it to each other across the quidditch pitch. Sometimes from their brooms when they were fifty yards apart," he laughed.

Hermione tipped her head to one side as she watched George scoop Angie into his arms and begin to sing the first lines into her ear. Probably quite badly, she thought to herself with a smile, if his singing voice was anything like that of his twin. But Ange didn't seem to mind; she was singing it back to him with a big smile on her face.

"Looking in your eyes, I see a paradise… This world that I've found is too good to be true…"

Fred leaned closer to Hermione's ear, singing his own version, though he didn't know as many of the words as George did. Until they neared the chorus and Fred decided that it was time for the best man and the matron of honour to make their own entrance onto the dance floor. Excited, he scooped her into his arms and carried the laughing witch onto the dance floor to join his twin and their newest sister-in-law.

"Let 'em say we're crazy, I don't care about that. Put your hand in my hand, baby, don't ever look back…"

Hermione was set upon her feet and Fred immediately spun her out. She laughed as she saw George doing the same with Angelina; they were using their twin bond to match their movements and put on a show for the crowd.

"Let the world around us just fall apart. Baby, we can make it if we're heart to heart…"

The twins were reaching a crescendo, and Angie wasn't far behind them. Most of their guests were watching and clapping delightedly at the show. A few weeks prior, Hermione might have found herself feeling mortified at being the centre of attention in this way. Now, as the beloved wife of an exuberant, excitable extravert, she had grown a bit more accepting of Fred's antics. She was even beginning to feel, with the help of their own bond, how such activities could occasionally be enjoyable, at least if she was with Fred. Certainly she now understood what Fred gained from his showmanship as the bond allowed her to feel the unique joy that he experienced when he and George's performances and products made others happy.

Fred and George decided a couple of sonorous charms were necessary for the chorus. "And we can build this dream together," they sang out across the beach, their arms swaying, "Standing strong forever. Nothing's gonna stop us now." They each scooped their wife into their arms and sang the next line to her. "And if this world runs out of lovers, we'll still have each other. Nothing's gonna stop us, nothing's gonna stop us now…"

Although Molly shook her head at their performance, wiping away tears that stemmed from a combination of emotions that she couldn't have named, she supposed that it was only fitting. Her twins, and their witches, taking the dance floor by storm, together. Each couple were now holding each other close, while the twins and Angelina continued to sing at the tops of their voices. And then George reached for Hermione and Angie reached for Fred and all four of them drew together into a group hug, in which somehow they still managed to keep dancing before they separated back into couples, still singing loudly, faces tipped to the sky.

Across the dance floor, Harry turned to his girlfriend. "That song could have been written for them," he said, and Ginny laughed in agreement.

Molly wiped away more tears, and she watched as Lauren reached for Charlie's hand, pulling him up onto the dance floor to sing and sway to the anthem alongside her. Charlie pressed himself close to Lauren's body, his arms reaching around her and his face nuzzling into her hair. Molly would find out later that evening that Lauren didn't really enjoy dancing; it was the sentiment of the song that had brought her to her feet, wanting to join in. Most of their guests clearly agreed, as the dance floor soon filled with their friends and family loudly singing the song, which seemed to sum up how so many were feeling on that day. For many of them, the knowledge that the war was over was only really just beginning to sink in, and they were experiencing and enjoying a sense of freedom that no-one had felt for a good few years.

"May I have this dance?" asked Phil, holding his hand out to Molly.

"Of course," she replied, and followed him onto the dance floor as Arthur smiled. He headed across the side of the dance floor until he found Minerva McGonagall, who he always enjoyed dancing with. Principally because she, like his wife, knew how to take her turn in the lead. And Arthur was happy to stick with what he knew. As the music changed and the singing and dancing became a bit less loud, they took the chance to catch each other up on news; his from the Ministry and their family, hers from Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. Minerva smiled warmly when he outlined the plan they had begun to make to move Lauren and Charlie to the grounds of The Burrow.

"I think she'll enjoy that," Minerva said.

"I really like the idea of moving the cottage," Lauren was saying to Charlie at almost exactly the same moment. "Are you sure you're OK with being so close to your folks?"

"After all those years of being so far away," he replied, looking lovingly into her eyes, "it'll be great. We'll be at the reserve for part of the time anyway, and it'll be great knowing that they'll keep an eye on the cottage. And just think; free babysitting on tap. We'll be able to share child care and other stuff with the others as well."

Lauren smiled, her mind's eye full of thoughts of swings and garden sofas; of happy summer barbeques and autumn bonfires; of watching Charlie and, she hoped, some of brothers spend time outside together while she, Molly and Hermione chatted on the sofa. She tipped her head to one side, wondering whether Angelina and Fleur and the other witches knitted, and was then distracted by the realisation that, as soon as she had a floo, she could spend more time with her new French friend, getting to know Fleur better.

"What are you thinking?" Charlie asked her, seeing her eyes flash with happiness at the thought.

"How much I'll love having access to a floo of my own," she replied. "I'll be able to get around by myself then. I can go to Shell Cottage, and the shop," she said, and then paused. "And I've never even been to Percy's. Or Ginny and Harry's," she exclaimed.

"Well, it has only been two and a half weeks," Charlie laughed, and she tipped her head, laughing in acknowledgement.

"True," she conceded, as one song came to an end and a faster tune began. "Shall we sit down now? You know I'm not really a dancer!"

"Boooo!" Ginny called to them as they passed her, letting Lauren know that she disapproved of her leaving the dance floor so soon, and Lauren laughed.

"I need to be more drunk first," she said, leaning closer to Charlie's sister so she could be heard over the music.

"The bar's that way then," Ginny said cheekily. "Don't be long … I'll be waiting!"

"She doesn't take any prisoners," Lauren laughed to Charlie as they headed over to get themselves another drink.

"Never has," said Percy, who had also excused himself, though he had left Penny happily bopping with Fleur and Bill. "But with six older brothers, she was never going to be a shrinking violet!"

"What does your week look like, with all this legal stuff going on?" Charlie asked his brother.

"Legal," replied Percy, shortly, though he didn't look too sorry about that. Truth be told, he enjoyed wading through laws and solving political puzzles. He checked around to see that no-one else was listening to him before continuing. "I'm pulling a document together which is basically a stay of the marriage law. Kingsley's hoping that the plan that this lot have come up with," he tilted his head slightly towards the dance floor, and Charlie knew that he was indicating Hermione, George, Fred, Angelina and Lee, "will stun the Wizengamot into signing it right there and then, which means we can all wake up on the first of August without that threat hanging over us."

"That would be amazing," Charlie said.

"Yes, well," Percy replied, "we all just have to do our bit and then hope for some luck and a fair wind." He took a sip of his beer.

"Is there anything I can do?" Lauren asked.

Percy shook his head. "Most of it's in motion and we just need to hope now," he told her. "And you've given Charlie what he needs to be safe. There is one question I've been wanting to ask you, though…"

Lauren smiled. "Go on then," she said, looking back out over the dance floor and smiling at the sight of Charlie's family enjoying themselves. "Everyone deserves some happiness, by the sounds of it, and I'd be happy to help." She smiled at Elliot, who had found Hermione and was having a chat with her and Fred.

"Right then," said Charlie. "I'll get the drinks in? What would you both like?"

Twenty minutes later, Percy and Lauren were still poring over a piece of parchment, in deep conversation, and Charlie had given up watching and gone to chat to Bill and Fleur instead. "Well, would you look at that," Fred whispered into Hermione's ear, pointing the two of them out. "Now that's a friendship pairing I would never have predicted!"

Hermione smiled. "I guess they're only opposite in temperament," she said, stroking Fred's waist with her fingers. "They're both very clever, and they're probably talking about philosophy or something…"

Fred chuckled. "Well," he said, "it's nice to see them both connecting with the family. Oh, look!" He exclaimed, delighted at what he was seeing. "Here we have another great friendship pairing in the making," he said, turning Hermione around to watch. "Bet he's spotted how tiny she is!"

"Excuse me…" Lauren turned and looked up at the sound of a pleasant male voice, and then had to tip her head down slightly when she saw a very smartly-dressed shorter man addressing her. "Am I interrupting?" he asked.

"Not at all," Percy said, "We've just finished."

"Percy," said the newcomer with a smile. "I wonder if you would be so kind as to introduce me?"

"Of course!" Percy smiled, turning to Lauren. "Lauren," he said, "this is Professor Filius Flitwick, who teaches charms at our school." Lauren smiled broadly at the older man and offered him her hand to shake. "Professor," she said.

"Filius, please," the older wizard looked between the two of them, urging them both to feel able to address him by his first name.

"Filius," Percy continued, with a small nod to acknowledge the honour that had been bestowed upon him, "this is Dr Lauren Bennett. She's a muggle lecturer and, as I'm sure you know, she and Charlie are together and Elliot is their son."

"Charmed," Filius said, kissing Lauren's hand and giving her a bow, which made her smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you, and I wondered if you would care to dance?" He tipped his head to one side and smiled. "I stand no chance with all these tall women who insist on wearing high heels, but I think you might be perfect!"

Lauren leaned towards him. "I'd love to," she said, "but I'm not very skilled. Can you teach me what to do?"

"Of course!" he exclaimed, holding out his hand, which Lauren took, giving Percy a smile before standing and allowing Filius to lead her onto the dance floor and begin a foxtrot lesson.

Just a few yards away, Lee was leaning close as he spoke into Verity's ear. "Are you OK, love?" She had taken his hand and accompanied him to the dance floor, but he could tell that she wasn't totally present. "You've been quiet ever since you talked to Kingsley earlier…" He trailed off, not sure whether his observation would lead to a reprimand or a happy look that he had noticed. He knew from the experience of pointing out when stock was low or out of place that it could go either way with Verity.

It went the way he wanted, and she leaned into him more closely. "It's time," she said, and then there was a long pause.

Lee didn't reply. He knew better than to interrupt if Verity was finally ready to talk about what was going on for her.

"I need to be honest with you, and I'm never going to find a better time or place," she said, looking around. "Are you needed for anything?"

Lee shook his head. "Phil has his own DJ," he said, "and the fireworks are all set."

"Right." Verity paused again. "I'm going to use the ladies. You get a bottle of something that'll last us an hour, and," she looked around and then pointed to the side of the cove they were in that led away from the honeymoon area, "I'll meet you round there in five."

Lee nodded, feeling apprehensive and excited all at once. He had no idea what Verity wanted to tell him, but he hoped more than anything that it might end with her finally agreeing to go out with him. He was at the bar and back in a flash and slipped away with just the quietest word to Fred, who gripped his shoulder with a whispered, "good luck, mate," before spinning Hermione out again, ensuring for his old friend's sake that any unoccupied eyes were on himself and Hermione and not on the couple who needed a bit of time to themselves.

"Our terrible twosome," said Molly, watching Fred's wild dancing from her husband's arms. "Can you believe that they're the second and third of our kids to be married?!"

"I would never have bet on it," Arthur laughed. "But I'm so proud of both of them."

Molly nodded, and then looked between George and Fred again, smiling when she realised that they had now swapped witches. They had loved to play with her when they were younger, each pretending that they were the other. For years, she had played along with it, knowing how much they both enjoyed thinking that they were fooling their mum. She wondered if either of them would have magical twins of their own. If they did, she thought, they would soon realise that she had always known which was which. You can't sit and gaze at your children for hours, while you breastfeed or play with them, or watch them sleep, and not come to intimately know every minute difference between the two. She wondered if one day they would come to know that kind of love.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Arthur whispered, leaning close to her ear.

"Ten galleons," Molly replied, surprising him into a loud laugh.

"That's an expensive thought, Mollywobbles," he smiled.

"No," she said, swatting him with a laugh of her own. "Ten galleons on Hermione and Fred being the first of the pair of them to give us a grandchild. Look at the way they look at each other! Even after five weeks or however long it is, they can't wait to get home and be alone!"

"I'll gladly take that wager," Arthur grinned. "Because I think George and Ange'll get there first. Hermione's too sensible; she'll stick to her plan of waiting AND she'll take account of the Weasley super fertility."

Molly laughed. "You might be right, but we'll see. I still have Fred's persuasive skills on my side, and goodness knows I've been at the receiving end of those for twenty odd years, so I know how good they are!"

Arthur tipped his head and leaned closer. "But I still have the fact that George and Angie can't use any contraception tonight, while they seal their bond…"

"Get away with you," Molly laughed again. "You have them all thinking it's me who's obsessed with grandchildren, and you're far worse than I am."

"Well," Arthur said, delighted to have Molly in such a relaxed mood after the difficulties she had been experiencing over the past few weeks, "I was wondering whether, once we've got all the new houses moved and up, we could built a little railway around the garden, with a train which could stop outside each house so that we use it to could visit each other! And we'll have a stop at the pond, of course, so we can go straight from home for a swim!"

Molly's laugh was so loud and happy that Ginny heard it from across the other side of the dance floor. "Mum seems to be feeling better," she said to Harry, who agreed. "Did you talk to Hermione yet?" she asked him, and he made a positive noise.

"We're meeting for coffee in the Alley tomorrow morning," he said. "And Ron. You could come if you like?"

"I might," Ginny said, sounding non-committal. "I'll see how hungover I am. Oh hello, look!" she exclaimed, turning Harry to watch the twins and Elliot heading straight for their favourite transfiguration professor, who was dancing with Bill. This could be good…"

"Auntie Minnie!"

Two almost identical voices called out, with one sounding just slightly more gravelly than the other. Minerva turned in Bill's arms; a half-smile on her lips. She wished she had placed a bet with Molly on how long it would take Fred and George to abuse her new name.

"I do hope," she said gently, eyeing the small wizard in Fred's arms, "that you're worth it!"

Elliot held his arms out. "Dance? Miney said you're the best…"

Bill laughed, bowed to Minerva and stepped back, conceding his dance partner to his nephew.

Walking up just behind the twins, Hermione gave her old teacher a smile. "When Elliot said he wanted to learn to dance, we told him how you taught us all, for the Yule Ball…"

"Did they now?" she asked Elliot, who nodded excitedly. "Well then," she continued, "let's see."

Minerva tipped her head slightly to one side, considering how best to facilitate a dance with the tiny boy, and then made a decision. "I think," she said, choosing a Weasley twin at random and taking Fred's hand, "we'll borrow Uncle Fred to give you some height. George, some help here please!"

Within less than a minute, she had directed George to hold Elliot snugly against his brother while indicating that Fred should hold his arms in the air. Minerva then spun several strands of rainbow coloured fabric from her wand, much to Elliot's delight, using them to gently but firmly secure the little boy to Fred's chest. Bill had turned around, catching both Lauren and Charlie's eyes to ensure that they would witness the fun. Filius laughed, gave Lauren another bow and led her back to Charlie so that they could all watch together.

"That's genius," George said, smiling as their old professor placed Elliot's right hand on her shoulder while Fred reached for her waist. She then took hold of both of their left hands and the three of them moved easily back onto the dance floor, with Fred doing the legwork and Elliot laughing delightedly; his feet dangling in the air as he was swirled around in a dance by his uncle and his lovely Auntie Minnie.

None of them noticed as Lee slipped away and then turned the corner, a large bottle of wine in one hand and a couple of glasses in the other, and smiled as he saw the sight that was awaiting him.


	89. Blankets and promises

"Mister Jordan…"

Verity was walking her fingers up and down Lee's thigh, stroking the soft fabric of his summer dress robes. It was driving him nuts to have her hand so close and yet to know that he had to rein himself in from catching it, scooping her up into his arms and lavishing kisses all over her pretty face. She had been clear with him last weekend that, while he shouldn't be afraid to hope, she still needed more time.

"I told you I needed more time to adjust to the idea of commitment," she said, confirming that thought, "and that's true, but maybe not for the reason you think."

Lee had told himself, when he rounded the corner of the cliff and saw the witch he loved sat on a tartan picnic blanket, that he would be cool, calm and collected and not say or do anything that might scare Verity away. It took all of ten seconds for that plan to sail away on the sea breeze.

"I love you," he said, as soon as he settled on the blanket beside her. He immediately wanted to kick himself. He was supposed to be being cool and not pushing her.

"I know you do," she said, patting his leg with a gentle laugh.

Lee smiled; happy to have broken any tension that might have existed along with his resolve.

"Kingsley is my godfather," she said, causing his eyebrows to raise. He had not been expecting that. "And it's time I told you some other things about me."

"Wine, then?"

Lee reached for a glass, poured a generous serving into it, and handed it to her before filling his own.

"Thanks." She tipped it towards him in a toast.

Lee took a deep breath. "You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to, love," he said, and then a grin crossed his face. "My love for you is pretty unconditional. Embarrassing," he added, tilting his head and winking, "because, with you, I seem to have reverted to the way I used to be when I was thirteen and first discovered witches and was unable to hide my feelings. So I think by now everyone knows how I feel and that you don't want me. So, yes, unconditional. Impossible to hide. And," he paused for a sip of wine, "totally beyond my control."

"It's not that I don't want you," she said, looking a bit confused. "I thought I had been clear about that?"

Lee raised his eyebrows slightly, but he didn't say anything. Verity gave a small sigh, and then continued.

"OK," she said. "I can see that I might have made you confused, even though I thought I was being clear." She leaned back, looking at the sky rather than Lee. "I think you're gorgeous," she said. "I fancy the arse off you. It makes no difference to me that I'm a couple of years older than you, and I'm hoping this conversation will go on until tomorrow morning, if you take my drift…"

Lee very much took her drift. In a number of different parts of his body.

"I told you a few weeks ago I was worried about how a relationship might affect our work. I love those boys as if they were my own little brothers," she said, tilting her head in the direction of the wedding, making it clear that she was referring to Fred and George, "and I'll not risk losing them for a shag with you."

"Never," Lee said, reaching out towards her hand, but she pulled away.

"Let me finish," she said. "I've been building up to this for weeks, and if you interrupt," he could hear a bit of an edge creeping into her voice, "I might apparate home in a panic and we'll have to go back to the beginning."

He nodded, too afraid to say anything in reply, lest he chose the wrong words.

"Oh fuck, sorry." Verity picked up a shell and rubbed one finger along the edge of it. "I don't mean that. I'm shit at this. I should have written you a bloody letter!"

Lee couldn't hold back anymore. "I'll go to the shop and get Oswald if you like?" he offered, leaning into her and bumping her side. "We could have a chat by owl?"

Verity's eyes filled with tears and she turned to Lee with a sob. "Why do you always have to be so fucking nice, Jordan? I was happy with my decision! I had a job and a life that I loved. I was growing myself a surrogate family with the boys, who happened to fly out of school the day before I walked into the Cauldron needing a new job. And then you bloody come along after you finished your NEWTS and made me bloody fall in love with you. Which was not," she leaned towards him, and his heart started beating even faster as her words began to register, "part of the plan."

Verity gave a short laugh, confusing Lee even more. It was becoming clear to him that, if his dream came true and he ended up with Verity Brown, he was going to have to get a lot better at working out her moods than this. She was a bit like the sea, he thought, as he looked over at the waves rolling up onto the beach. You would think that everything was calm and happy, and then a bigger wave would come out of nowhere and crash over you. And there was no predicting when those big waves were due, although he was prepared to embark on closer study of this with Verity. Perhaps Hermione would help him, he thought, although he then recalled that she often seemed just as confused by Verity's moods and motives as he did.

"OK," she said, surprising him again with the fact that she seemed to have calmed again. "I'm afraid…"

There was a long pause, and Lee just nodded, hoping he was managing to look supportive. He badly wanted to not fuck things up.

"I know I'm just one of many," she said, a bit cryptically, with another nod in the direction of the noise of the wedding. "If we counted, I bet more than half of the wedding guests have lost one or both parents to the war, but that's the beginning of my story too," she finished.

Lee thought quickly. He knew that Verity's mum was on the scene, so she must have lost her father.

"My dad was an auror," she continued. "He was Kingsley's partner. I was so tiny when he was killed that I don't know which of my memories of him are real ones, and which are ones I've made up from seeing photos of the two of us. One day, I'd like you to hold my hand while Kings tells us more about him, but I don't want to talk about it now. I just needed to find a way to tell you why I'm so fucking terrified of falling in love. I don't want to lose you and go through what my mum did. She's never fully got over losing him," she whispered.

Verity looked up, into Lee's eyes. Her tears increased when she saw that he, too, was crying.

"I'm so sorry, love," he said, holding her close. "I had no idea..."

"You weren't supposed to," she whispered. "I've worked hard to build a nice wall". She made a circular motion with her finger as she talked. "Only a few people get in. Not you," she said, a bit gruffly, poking his chest gently with her finger as she did. She smiled through her tears. "Because you'd be all lovely and nice and you'd make me fall in love with you more and then where would I be?"

"You'd be right here, in my arms and my heart," Lee said, with no clue about whether this would be a good or a terrible way to respond.

"Exactly!" Verity exclaimed. "See, this is the problem!"

Lee wished Fred was with them. Fred was good at riddles. And then he felt a bit guilty and ashamed. He wanted Verity to be his puzzle. He wanted to be the one who understood her and translated her tides and moods for others, if need be. He pulled her close to his chest, thinking through everything she had said, both this evening and over the past couple of weeks, and then he took her chin in his fingers, tilting her so that he could look into her eyes.

"I love you, Verity Brown," he said. "And I will love you relentlessly, probably regardless of whether or not you love me back." He was rewarded by a flood of fresh tears, which his instincts told him weren't a bad sign, especially as they were accompanied by another small smile.

"Hmmmm," said Verity, reaching for her wand so that she could transfigure a shell into a large puffy cushion, which she then pulled Lee back onto. It was a bit oddly-shaped, and Lee smiled to himself. Transfiguration was definitely not Verity's strongest suit, but he thought it politic not to comment. "Problem is," she continued, nestling her head into his shoulder, because she couldn't possibly look into his eyes while she made her confession. "I love you too, and I think I have done for quite a while now, and I think I'm ready to make this official and maybe even add our names to the pot, and maybe one day let Kings walk me down the aisle to you, even though it's going to make me cry when he does, because he always goes on about how it's the least he can do for my dad."

"It's OK," Lee reassured. His heart was soaring and he could barely believe what he had just heard. "You'll be OK. We'll make it OK…"

"When I bring the wall down, it makes me all emotional so I can't function properly," Verity complained. "Yet I know that I'll only be living half a life if I keep it up and keep you out."

"We'll figure it out," Lee promised, and he meant it. His heart was pounding with excitement and it took everything he had to stay calm for Verity's sake. He had a sense that Verity had kept some of her feelings bottled up for years, perhaps because she had been so focused on taking care of her mum. He knew, from scraps of conversations in the shop over the past couple of years, that Verity's mum's mental health was sometimes fragile, but it had never occurred to him to wonder why.

"I'm not an emotional wreck ALL the time," she said.

"I don't mind if you are," he whispered. "But I know." And he did. He knew that she was an incredibly capable witch, who could manage the shop and corral hordes of kids while appeasing parents and keeping him, Fred and George on track. Even if her words were cryptic and her transfiguration wasn't always up to scratch, he thought, with a smile. "You love me," he whispered.

"I do," she replied, and pressed a slow kiss to his lips before pulling back a couple of inches. "The last few weeks have been nuts. The war brought a lot of feelings up for me. The funerals, then the rebuilding, then all the romance. Bloody Fred and Hermione climbing all over each other everywhere you go in the shop," she laughed softly, shaking her head. Lee's quiet chuckle joined hers, knowing that her meaning was affectionate. "And now these two," she continued, the tears still flowing as she pointed towards the wedding noise again. "It's bloody non-stop!"

"Shall we wait til things get quieter then?" he asked, stroking her hip with his hand. He was furiously hoping that he was reading things correctly and not about to make a massive fool of himself with what he was going to say. "How about we put our names forward at the ball, like you said, but rather than promising engagement or marriage, we'll promise that we're seriously together and working on it. We could start a new trend! And we'll go to everyone else's weddings and drink their champagne and be the life and soul of every party, but when they ask when it's our turn, we'll say we're waiting nicely in line until everyone else has done." Seeing that her face looked open and her pupils were wide and her blue eyes clear of tears, Lee chanced another gentle kiss on her lips. He wasn't reprimanded for it, so he moved his fingers through her blonde hair and kissed her more deeply, bringing a soft moan from her mouth. When he had finished, he leaned towards her ear and whispered. "We'll wait til you're ready, and not a moment sooner."

"You're too nice," Verity whispered back. This time, it was she who took his face into her hands, seeking his mouth with her own.

"Only in some areas," he whispered back, once they had shared more soft kisses. "I'm planning to drive you nuts wanting to spend my free Saturdays commentating on quidditch when you'll want me to have the kids."

"Nah." Verity stopped his laugh with another snog before explaining herself. "I'll ask Lauren to help me get me one of those rainbow muggle things they carry Elliot in, and I'll strap the kids to you before you leave the house, like she does with Charlie. You and the boys will turn all of my babies into quidditch nuts anyway, so I might as well reap the rewards of that!"

Lee grinned, stroking her hair. He had a vision of himself, Fred and George in the future, and he had no doubt that all three of them would be active fathers, striding about with babies and toddlers on their backs. Fred and George had already mentioned that one of their dreams was to have WWW sponsor a box at one of the stadia for their family. In his mind's eye, Lee imagined the three of them, and the other quidditch-loving Weasleys, watching a match together. After everything that had happened, it was a nice thought.

"That sounds fair," he said, slowly tipping them both until they were laying down on the cushion. "Although I happen to know that you're secretly much nicer than you want everyone to think you are. But don't worry," he cupped her face with his hand and slanted his lips, letting her know that he was about to kiss her again, "I won't tell anyone…"

Verity moaned as his tongue traced the inside of her lips, and she responded to his touch, winding her arms around him and stroking his back. She had known for the past few weeks that she needed to let down her barrier a bit and accept Lee's love and affection. And although she couldn't say that she was yet completely free of the feeling of trepidation that always haunted her when she thought about the risk involved in giving her heart to a wizard, she was experiencing so much joy that she could push her doubts far enough away for them not to mar her enjoyment of his kisses.

"I want you, and I can't wait any longer!"

Verity and Lee sat up quickly when they heard Hermione's voice. Just a few seconds before they saw her rounding the corner of the cliff, towing a laughing Fred behind her.

"You know my mum's going to have seen us, and be all excited about babies," he said.

"I don't care!" Hermione replied, turning to face him, and pulling him into a deep kiss, completely oblivious to the fact that their friends and co-workers were just a few feet away.

"Erm, hello mate, love," said Lee, in a louder voice than he had used for a while. He didn't let go of Verity, so when Fred and Hermione turned, it was to see their friends' bodies tangled together in a way that suggested there was only one possible outcome to their evening too.

"Oh! Hey!" Fred exclaimed, his eyes growing wide with delight at what he was witnessing. "Can I say congratulations?" he grinned.

Verity looked up at Lee. "Yes," she said, turning back to Fred. "I think you can. No rings, though," she emphasised. "Or dates for your diary. We're just … dating," she said, looking back at her wizard with such an expression of love on her face that his heart swelled. "But it's official…"

"I'm so happy for you," said Hermione. Her slight embarrassment at being overheard propositioning her husband was dwarfed by her genuine joy at realising that Verity had finally said yes to their friend.

"Carpe diem," said Verity. "Isn't that what you told me?"

"I did," said Hermione, touched that Verity had remembered their conversation in the shop that day.

"Well, we'll leave you in peace and find another nook," Hermione said, taking Fred's hand again. "It's George and Angie's bloody fault," she said, a hundred times more openly than she would have done just a few weeks prior. "Their bonding magic seems to be affecting ours, and we can't take the pressure any longer." Neither of them mentioned that this would be the second time they had sneaked off to make love that afternoon. She turned to Fred. "We should just apparate to the shop roof for half an hour!"

"Yeah, we could," he said, looking at her lovingly as he stroked her face with the back of his fingers, "if you don't mind Georgie taking the piss about you sneaking off home to have a shag during his wedding reception for the next hundred years! He'll know if we've left the area; it's hard to hold the bond closed while apparating…"

"We could do a deal?" Lee said to Fred, pointing to their rug. Fred raised his eyebrows and then laughed.

"Alright," he said, knowing exactly what Lee was suggesting. Both Lee and Verity lived with other people, so privacy was sometimes hard to come by. "The floo's open, the shop and the roof are all yours for the night; help yourselves! There's wine in our fridge if you need more," he nodded to the bottle they were sharing. "In exchange for your blanket and pillow, and I'll even say your goodbyes to the happy couple," he added, with a soft laugh.

"Done," said Verity, pushing herself up and pulling Lee's hand until he was standing. Then, a bit unexpectedly, she walked forward and gave Hermione a hug. "Thanks," she said. And then, seeing Hermione's slightly surprised face, she added, with a nod towards Lee, "for helping me see that I should give Smooshy here a chance."

Hermione had the sense that she might never know exactly what she had said or done to encourage Verity, but she was delighted to see her and Lee holding each other tenderly as they prepared to apparate to the flat's roof to seal their own promise. She was nearly as delighted to see that as she was to finally feel Fred's lips on hers, as he drew them down onto the tartan blanket and closed his bond with George for a few minutes so that they could indulge in a hard, fast, passionate expression of their love for each other. Just a few minutes later, their orgasms crashed over them and they stole just a few more kisses before returning to the dance floor, pretending that they had just taken a quick stroll and nipped around the corner for a snog.


	90. George and Angelina's wedding night

By midnight on George and Angie's wedding day, the extended Weasley family and their close friends had clocked up three new engagements (for they would later discover that Hannah had proposed to Neville and then, two songs later, Seamus and Dean had proposed to each other on the dance floor just hours after Lauren had secretly become engaged to Charlie) and Lee and Verity's commitment. And, thanks to Elliot and Inardoe, the realisation – at least to a small number of people – that the second Weasley grandchild had been conceived.

The commitments weren't entirely coincidental, and neither were they the only key events that took place that day. A couple of family members had realised, relatively soon after Angie had proposed to George, that the timing of their wedding day could be a critical part of the plan to counteract the marriage law. And so the event was the location and pivot point for many conversations which helped firm up the plans for the evening of the Ministry Ball. Without exception, Angie and George's guests were committed to the attempt to convince the Wizengamot to pull back and accept that members of the wizarding world should be allowed to take responsibility for their own lives, commitments and families. It was a question of freedom; of human rights.

The layout of the beach, with the small tables set out for easy movement and chatting, had been planned to lend itself well to the patchwork of planning conversations that were needed. By the time he left with Verity, Lee had set everything that he could in place for his part. Kingsley had worked the crowd; ensuring that everyone had as much information as they needed so that they could all spend the week passing this on to others. Percy had supported him in this and also put in some key planning work with the woman that he and Kinsgley had code named 'Athena' and who they both believed to be their secret weapon.

But it didn't end there. Minerva and Filius were working on logistics and communication, while Hermione and Ginny mingled amongst their friends to ensure that a couple of key charms were known by all who would need them. Fred Weasley, ever the entrepreneur, had combined his own conversations with the handing out of party favours in the shape of hangover truffles. He had put them into individual boxes and added a note promising each recipient a further free sample – delivered to the Ball itself – if they owled feedback to the shop before close of business on the Thursday afternoon.

All were agreed that George and Angelina should be free from Ball-related tasks, however, and the two spent a joy-filled day with their friends and family. By eight thirty in the evening though, the happy couple were desperate to be alone. When he saw the way they were gazing longingly at each other, Phil whispered to them that they should do a quick round of farewells and then he would announce their departure. The size of the Weasley family and the fact that everyone seemed to want to whisper words of love and advice into their ears meant that even this quick goodbye took until just after nine, and eventually Phil charmed his voice, raised his wand and asked for the guests' attention.

"It's time to say farewell to our lovely bride and groom, who are now apparating off on their honeymoon," he said, as if they were going to Greece or the Bahamas and not just fifty yards away to the heavily warded cove next door. George said a heartfelt thank you on behalf of both of them and he scooped Angelina up into his arms.

"See you all Friday; enjoy the fireworks," he winked, his arms full of his bride, before Angelina made the tiniest wand movement and, in a move that they had practised the night before, just for fun, she side-along apparated them to the wooden path which led to their wedding bed.

"Bloody hell," breathed George, when he saw the honeymoon cove. He knew what it looked like during the day, having visited while Fred and Hermione were honeymooning there. But Phil's staff had bedecked their bed with fairy lights and lanterns, covered the duvet and the floor around the bed with rose petals and filled the table beside the bed with champagne, fruit and chocolate.

"We might need to keep our energy up," Angelina whispered, seeing him looking at the food, but she only just finished the sentence before her lips captured George's, making him swoon slightly with the intensity of her kiss.

"Mmmm," he mumbled, realising that he needed to take the last few steps to the bed before he was so overcome with the bonding magic that he dropped his new wife. Pulling away from her kiss gently, he whispered a quiet, "wait, love," before taking those steps and then almost falling onto the bed and bringing Angelina with him.

"Can't wait," she said, pulling open his dress robes and reaching for his trousers. Within a couple of minutes she had freed him from his boxers and slipped out of her own knickers. George was trying to help, but the sensations of the bonding magic were making him less dexterous than usual. Angie ended up pushing his hands away from where he was fumbling to remove her clothing, knowing that her fingers were, at that point, more nimble. Instead, he reached up her dress, wanting to make sure she was prepared. The last thing he wanted to do was to hurt her on their wedding night, however desperate they both were to complete the bond.

"I'm so wet for you, George," she muttered into his ear. "I've been wet all day."

"You really are, love," he said, using his fingers to tease her slowly. Angie pushed his hand away again.

"I need you … inside me," she demanded, and, not three minutes after she had left her wedding, and while still in her wedding dress, Angelina Johnson-Weasley sank down onto her husband and moaned out his name. He breathed hers into her ear in reply before taking her dress-covered bottom into his hands and tipping her onto her back. George was so energised by the magic that he needed to be able to move more freely, and Angie cried out in appreciation of his efforts, meeting every one of his thrusts with an athletic rolling of her own hips.

In contrast to the last time a marriage had been sealed in that cove, there was nothing slow or gentle about George and Angie's bonding sex. They had been together for years and knew each other intimately. They rubbed their bodies together, hard and fast, teasing each other with words but primarily focused on the shared goal of bringing each other to a climax and sealing their bond forever. As if on cue, fifty yards over from them, Fred pointed his wand at the box which would trigger the firework display celebrating their love, and the brightly coloured explosives began to sail up and illuminate the darkening sky over the ocean as the newlyweds came together.

George and Angelina barely noticed. The first wave of magic surged over them as if an actual wave had come crashing out of the sea. They both called out, and then pressed themselves closely together, their hips still bucking slightly to enjoy the physical sensation of their orgasms, but otherwise overwhelmed by the sensation of their magic interweaving. Golden light pulsed around them as their magical cores connected, and their hearts swelled as their souls bonded in love. Someone swore, and afterwards neither could say for sure which of them it had been.

George rolled onto his side, bringing his wife with him. He reached for the light duvet and pulled it over them so they wouldn't get cold as their sweat dried in the evening breeze. Angie reached out to touch George's chest when she realised that she could feel his heartbeat as well as her own, and for several minutes they just lay there and gazed at each other, smiling and laughing at their newfound ability to sense the other's emotions. They laid their heads on the pillows, fingers and hands intertwined, and watched the last few fireworks rocket up into the sky and then explode into hearts and stars.

George was the first to speak. "I love you," he said, simply. "Thank you for bonding with me."

For the first time in days, his declaration wasn't accompanied by tears, and Angie registered that right away. She shifted herself slightly, wanting to get more comfortable. "You're not crying," she said, brushing his cheek softly.

"No," he laughed. And then he frowned a little. "I feel stronger," he said, his eyes looking away as he contemplated this new knowledge. "Safer…"

"Good," Angie replied.

"How do you feel, love?" he asked.

She took a moment to contemplate before answering. "Sexy," she laughed. "Full of love." She frowned. "More satisfied than I've ever felt. Excited for the future. Oh, Gods," she bit her lip and whispered the next bit, her face showing surprise, "I feel broody; like I want to have your babies! Where did that come from?!"

He laughed. They had talked about babies the day before. They had agreed that, like Hermione and Fred, it might be best to wait a year or so before getting pregnant and make sure that things were running well at the shop. "The magic's making you feel that way, love. It did the same to Hermione; Fred told me. We'd better volunteer you for Elliot's babysitting list!"

They chatted softly for another few minutes before Angie reluctantly began to pull out of George's arms. "I want to get out of this dress," she whispered, wriggling backwards. George got the show of his life as she stood beside the bed, used her wand to magically undo her wedding dress and then gave a shimmy, making the dress fall to the ground, revealing her tall, naked body to him in all its glory.

"Fuck," he whispered, divesting himself of his own clothes and throwing them over his side of the bed before welcoming Angelina back into his arms. Their mutual nakedness led to them both becoming turned on again, and they made love a second time, slightly less frantically.

Afterwards, Angie waved her arm towards the champagne, asking George if he would like another drink.

He grinned. "You're going to take the piss forever when I say this, I know, but I'm actually desperate for a cup of tea!"

"Seriously?! No, I suppose I'm not really surprised. Go on then, you're making it," she said. "Everything you need is over there," she pointed her finger, "where you and Fred made breakfast last time."

She was still chuckling as she watched her very gorgeous, very naked husband walk across to the field kitchen, wiggling his bum for her as he did.

"Nice," she called, continuing to laugh as he danced for her while making tea and also inspecting the breakfast hamper. Angie smiled. She had learned over the years that most of the Weasley men gained pleasure from anticipating future meals. This was, she knew, one reason that Molly's Sunday dinners would go on for as long as the older witch could cook. And even then, she thought, a sting of an unnameable emotion hitting her as her mind unexpectedly took her decades into the future, even if Molly reached the point where she felt unable to cook for the large family, there were plenty of other Weasleys who would be happy to carry on the tradition. She could see easily Bill and Percy taking that mantle. Still smiling, she pointed her wand at the magically charmed champagne and one of the glasses beside her filled from the bottle, which remained corked so that the rest of the contents would stay fizzy.

"Oh," said George, as he reappeared beside her with two cups of tea and saw the glass. "I made you one as well…"

"That's OK," she replied, giving him a kiss. "Thank you." She took the tea from him and put it on her side of the bed. "I'll have both."

"I was just thinking…" he said.

"About breakfast," Angie finished, with a small laugh.

"Well, yes," he admitted, "and also about Sunday dinner. About how lovely it is that we all get together like this." He waved his arm towards the other cove where, he presumed, their guests were still partying. Phil had added further charms once the fireworks had ended, ensuring that nothing could be heard or seen across the wards, so they would only find out later when the party had ended.

"Oh," said Angie. "I thought I was thinking about that. Was that your thought?" She looked puzzled.

George shrugged. "Oh," he said, sounding very nonchalant, "well I thought it was me, but maybe it was you. Hard to tell sometimes!"

Angie knocked back a good gulp of champagne. This was going to take a bit of getting used to. She wondered whether Fred had been serious about he and Hermione coming over for brunch the next day. She could do with having someone to talk to about this. Or maybe she could meet with her friend later in the week.

"They said they'd like to come, though if the shop's busy then it might not be that easy," George said, answering her thought verbally. "I said we'd send a patronus to let them know when the wards are down." Then, sensing Angie's emotion, he smiled. He drained his tea, put his mug down and took her into his arms. "You'll get used to it sooner than you think," he promised, speaking softly.

Angie felt calmer at that, but whether from his words or from the emotion he was sharing through the bond, she couldn't tell. It was rather strange to be wholly your own person one minute and then, over the course of a single day, to blend yourself and your magic with someone else. An hour or so later, though, while she was nestled in a sleeping George's arms, his soft cock still pressing gently against her after he had made love to her while they lay on their sides, a thought came to her. This thought would be a key one that she would keep in her heart for the rest of her days. Angie realised that, although she had often heard it said that you could never truly know a person, the bond that she had just forged with her new husband gave her the ability to do just that. And had she ever had any doubts about whether she had married the right wizard, they had disappeared the moment she had fully bonded with George Weasley. For at that moment, she knew with absolute certainty that she had married a gorgeous marshmallow of a man who had only good in his heart.

Unknown – at the time – to the happy couple, the party had become more intimate not long after they had said their farewells. Fleur and Bill had secret news that they wanted to be able to marvel over in the comfort of their own bed, and they left just after the fireworks had finished. As did Percy and Penny, who wanted to make a few notes before retiring. Charlie and Lauren wanted to take Elliot home and prepare for Molly and Arthur's visit the next afternoon. Harry, Ron, Luna, Ginny, Neville, Hannah, Dean, Seamus and many of the younger guests looked as if they were planning to party into the night, and Molly smiled to see that several of the professors from Hogwarts were also still on the dance floor. Hermione was happily dancing with Harry and Ron, who were taking it in turns to spin their laughing friend. Fred gave them as long as he could bear to, conscious that he wanted to encourage Hermione to still spend plenty of time with her friends. But he wasn't a monk, and the bonding magic was still affecting him deeply. When the next slow song came on, he went over, took hold of her hips from behind and began to dance his body against hers while she continued to chat to her friends. Harry and Ron looked at each other, and then gave her a bow, waving her off. It was clear even to the two of them that Fred and Hermione weren't long for the party either.

"Go," said Ron, as Ginny came over to reclaim Harry. "We'll keep the party going here." He gave a smile as Luna strolled up and began to dance beside him, beckoning him to follow her with a finger.

Fred and Hermione held each other close and watched from the edge of the dance floor as the remaining wedding guests broke into two groups. The younger guests continued to dance, with more couples moving closer together, while the older contingent – which included Molly, Arthur, Phil, Kingsley and the Hogwarts staff, as well as a few other friends that they hadn't seen for a while – took to the beach. Phil and Minerva transfigured a few chairs into soft sofas, while Arthur and Kingsley built and lit a campfire.

"Shall we?" said Fred, whispering into Hermione's ear. "Now's our chance…"

She laughed softly, reading his mind and knowing exactly what he wanted them to do. He had been teasing her for the past hour about making a particular fantasy come true. "If you like," she said. "I'm growing to rather enjoy my sexual escapades with you…"

Fred nuzzled her ear with his lips before he wound his hands around Hermione's waist and apparated them both away.


	91. I don't like Mondays

Hermione screamed. She had run all the way from the front of the castle, knowing that she needed to find Fred, but she was too late.

Too late to save him.

Hit by a spell, one of the walls of the castle had crumbled and was falling onto his body. In agonisingly slow motion. Hermione was fixed to the spot; unable to move and cast a protego spell to protect the wizard she loved. So she screamed again, trying to get Percy's attention.

No-one heard her.

"Hey, love, hey. It's OK…"

Strong arms pinned her body, and she thrashed against them, trying to free herself so that she could run towards Fred and see if there was anything that she could do for him. But she knew it would be too late. The wall had fallen, and covered his body. Tears streamed down her face. She had no idea how she would live without the happiest, most loving man she knew. And she had never even told him how she felt; that he was the wizard she had always truly loved and wanted. She screamed again, knowing that she would never now get the chance to tell him.

"Hermione!" She heard Fred's voice. He sounded worried, and she looked around, trying to determine how she could hear the wizard who was lying on the ground, buried under the rubble. Was he taunting her from beyond the grave? Trying to call back before his final breath left his gorgeous body; wanting to tell her he felt the same way? That would truly be the end of her; knowing that they loved each other and had never even kissed.

She heard him call her name again. His voice was a bit louder and more urgent this time, and Hermione felt a fog begin to lift from her mind. She struggled back into consciousness, turned her face towards something that smelled remarkably like Fred and opened her tear-filled eyes.

"There you are, love," Fred said, cuddling her closer to his body. "You were having a nightmare."

He pressed a series of kisses to her lips and cheeks, wiping tears with his thumbs and then settling himself back down on the pillow with Hermione cradled on his chest. He stroked her hair, which had become damp with the sweat of night-time anxiety. And, perhaps, because of how much wine she had drunk before they had headed off and finished their evening with a sexual adventure that had made them giggle.

Hermione sobbed for a few more moments, needing to rid herself of the emotion, and Fred simply rocked her in his arms.

"It's because we went to the castle, isn't it?"

Hermione nodded into his chest, seeking sanctuary in the scent of him. She loved the way he smelled, especially when, like on the previous evening, he took a quick shower before getting into bed and smelled of himself mixed with the soap that his mum made. "Probably," she said, moving her fingers over the planes of his chest and lightly stroking the tuft of red hair under his arm.

Fred sighed, both from the enjoyment of Hermione's touch and from sadness that their lovely adventure had caused her pain. "Sorry, love."

It had been his idea initially. He had mentioned a few days prior that he had always had a fantasy about making love to her in their old common room. And, when he saw all of the current Hogwarts professors settling themselves around a beach fire with a few bottles of firewhisky, he also saw his chance. He whispered his idea into his wife's ear and, just a few minutes later, side-alonged her to the temporary Hogwarts apparition point that Minerva had created to save those who were helping with the repairs from having to walk to and from the gate.

"It's OK," Hermione whispered back, her tears abating as her stroking continued. A small smile crossed her face as she wiped her cheeks with a finger. "It was fun," she told him, "though I'll confess I'm a bit sore…"

A frown crossed Fred's face and he lifted Hermione slightly, pulling her pillow out from under her and turning it to the cool side. He then did the same with his own. He felt bad that he hadn't stopped things sooner. They had both been a bit overwhelmed by the magic that had affected them through their bond with George, but he should have known better. And Hermione had had her period as well, and even with all the spells that Fleur had taught her, he should have had more self-control. He could have said no.

Hermione sensed his concern through the bond and immediately sought to make him feel better. She had been just as keen to drink, go on adventures and make love as he had, and she didn't want Fred to feel responsible. "It's not your fault," she told him, holding his gaze until he nodded in acceptance of her assessment of the situation. "Could we have a cup of tea, do you think?" she asked, in a quieter voice again, knowing that he liked to do things for her; that it made him feel good when she needed him. She was beginning to learn to allow and even ask him to do more for her in this way.

"Course," he said, and kissed her forehead before sliding out of bed and padding to the kitchen. He became aware that he also felt a bit sore, and found he was almost pleased at the idea that Hermione wasn't the only one who would suffer. A few minutes later he was back in the bedroom with two mugs of milky tea and the biscuit tin.

They sat together and chatted for a while. Hermione shared a few more details of her nightmare, Fred whispered reassurance and they both enjoyed the intimacy of their chat in the wee hours. Twenty minutes later, Fred cast a cooling charm over both of their pillows and then they settled back down in the hope of sleeping through the rest of the night.

About three hours later, Fred groaned when he was awoken by his vibrating wand and realised what time it was. He would have liked to sleep for longer but, with George away and business so good, he knew he needed to get moving and down to the shop. He was also, he remembered, with a smile despite the way he felt, not entirely sure where his managers had spent the night.

"We need to stop having Sunday weddings," he groaned softly into Hermione's ear, and she nestled closer into him.

"I'm not going to argue with that," she said, rolling over and raising herself up onto her knees before reaching over to the bedside table. "Look, here's a hangover truffle." She popped one into her own mouth as well. "Shall I make us some tea while you run us a bath to share before work?"

"Oh, Gods, I love you," he said, reaching blindly for the chocolate remedy that she gave him. "I'm going into proper production with these this week," he said, ever the business wizard. "We'll see what feedback we get from the ones I gave out at the wedding and, as long as it's good, I'll make a bigger batch of samples and give them out free at the Ball. As all the ingredients are commonly used potions, we don't need any kind of paperwork. And," he flicked his eyebrows up and down, "we can then watch business come in after everyone's marvelled at them on Saturday morning."

"Excellent idea," she agreed, although she was finding it hard to summon the level of enthusiasm that Fred deserved. Hermione pointed her wand towards the kitchen, setting water to boil. She wished that there was another day of the weekend left, so that she could get the flat straight, get herself straight and maybe have a bit of rest before heading into another week at the shop. And, she realised with dismay as she walked through the living room and glanced out of the window, it was pouring with rain. Rain that was falling loudly onto the dry cobbles of Diagon Alley that had enjoyed so much sun for the past few weeks. Because it had been so dry, the rain wasn't soaking into the hard ground. The few people that were out at this early hour looked grumpy, despite having impermeable charms to protect them from the downpour. That was a bummer.

"Let's hope the lovebirds didn't sleep on the roof," Fred joked as he entered the kitchen right behind her. "Oh Gods," he added, seeing the state of the worksurface, which was flooded with water from the window, which they had left open. He hadn't noticed when he had made tea in the night, but perhaps it hadn't been raining then.

"Oh no!" Hermione cried out, running towards the window. Fred cast a quick spell to close it and then the two turned to the worksurface, which held a basket of baking ingredients and several cardboard packets of pasta, rice and couscous.

"Adsicco!" Hermione cast her spell at the dried goods on the counter, and a fraction of a second later, Fred added his own.

"Impervius!" he said.

The two spells combined, and the result was spectacularly awful. The goods that had previously been wet – and slightly swollen – dried out so quickly that they shattered. The resulting explosion covered the kitchen in a layer of mixed carbohydrates and floured cardboard. Several hours later, when she regained her sense of humour about the incident, Hermione would tell Molly that she would never have imagined how bad such a concoction could smell. In the moment, she simply stood there. A couple of tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I'll do it," Fred said, setting his shoulders and readying his wand to clean up the mess. On another day, he would have found the scene hilarious. But he was sore, aching and sad that he had hurt Hermione. Not to mention concerned about how busy the store would be that day, what with George out of action. "Here," he cleared the space around the kettle, indicating that Hermione should focus on her desire to make tea.

Hermione didn't want Fred to see that she was upset again, although even as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand she became aware of his hand on her shoulder. Of course; he could feel everything through the bond. She gave his fingers a quick pat, and turned back to the kettle. She had picked up Fred's concern that things would be busier with George away, and tried to spur herself into action, knowing that even a witch couldn't stop time. Well, not without a time turner, and she no longer had one of those at her disposal.

Just over an hour later, and feeling slightly better for two cups of tea each, a plate of scrambled eggs and a long shared soak in the bath, she and Fred walked down the stairs to the shop. When they opened the door, they saw that Verity and Lee were both already down there and working away.

"Are you decent?" Fred called, unable to keep the smile out of his voice.

"I am," said Verity, "but your mate's a bit coarse sometimes!"

"Ha ha," said Lee, coming up from behind her and looping his arms around the blonde witch's body; the gesture a clear signal of their now very intimate relationship. "You weren't saying that last night!" He kissed her neck.

Verity half-heartedly swatted him with her hand, but it was clear that she was finding it hard to stop smiling.

"Good night then?!" Fred teased. At least this was something to be cheerful about.

Verity raised her eyebrows, readying herself for a retort, and then relented into a soft smile instead. "Great night," she breathed. "Thanks for the loan of the private spaces, which are now all back to normal…"

"Yeah," Lee laughed. "We thought it would be fun to sleep on the roof … until the rain began!"

Verity chuckled in agreement. "At that point, we decided to apparate ourselves downstairs," she flicked her head to indicate the front door of the shop, "and make a nest in the staff room!"

"I enlarged your parasol," Lee added, pointing his finger upwards to indicate the roof. "So don't be surprised when you go up there; I thought it might save the sofas from getting soaked…"

"Oh, thank you," said Hermione. She hadn't even thought about that. "That's the first good thing that has happened this morning!" She gave a half smile to the two of them. "I'm glad you had a good night, and I'm really happy for you both."

Verity looked at Hermione as she turned and began to walk towards the back office. She had no doubt of the sincerity of the younger witch's words, but it was clear that Hermione was unhappy about something. But Verity decided not to comment.

Fred nodded his own thanks to Lee for the thoughtful gesture. "You've had breakfast?" he checked, looking at the direction of the staff room, where the fridge had been under a bit more pressure than usual over the past few days, given the extra help they had drafted in to cope with demand in the shop itself. Having extra staff was working really well for Fred and George though. The investment more than paid for itself, allowing them to focus on product creation and production while Verity and Lee did the day-to-day management and oversaw the sales staff.

"Yeah, thanks," Lee said, "but we pretty much cleaned it out, so I've sent off an urgent floo delivery order this morning to restock it." He nodded towards the nook where the owls lived. "There's not much left, especially with the increase in staff numbers. It's due at ten. We'll be alright til it comes, though; George isn't here to drink all the coffee!"

Fred nodded. Part of the philosophy that he and George had woven into their business was that their staff and helpers should enjoy food and drink on them while working. The cost of this was minimal, in the general scheme of things, and that was another thing which more than paid for itself when it came to the loyalty and goodwill that their staff felt towards the twins and the shop. They had picked up early in their career, mostly thanks to Verity describing the downsides of her previous employment, that too many employers skimped on even the basics, like tea and coffee, which resulted in disgruntled employees who felt undervalued. So they supplied sandwiches, cake, biscuits and a range of drinks for all their workers, who loved them for it. And worked hard, so that they would be able to keep a job at a shop that they loved.

"Are you alright, lovely?" Fred asked Hermione when, just a few minutes later, he entered the office that he, Hermione and George shared. Hermione was seated at her desk, surrounded by stacks of boxes and an assortment of parchment and multi-coloured muggle stationery items. She was moving things around and looking frazzled.

"I will be," she sighed, "when I've made sense of this lot. Every time I think I'm getting on top of things, something happens." She looked up at Fred. "They're good things, like you and me getting together and married in the same weekend," she looked at him fondly; her love for Fred temporarily making her forget what a crap morning she was having. "Or Charlie finding Lauren, or George and Angie getting married, but I honestly feel like I haven't stopped. And," she indicated her parchment and then picked up a pink pad of muggle paper, flipping through it to show him a series of lists, "I never get to the end of one of my lists before something happens and I need to make another. She sighed. "I could do with a day just to hide away somewhere and get on top of my lists!"

"Well, why don't you do that then?" Fred asked.

"Well," she replied, lifting up a pile of the boxes, "because I also need to do some checking of the date box inventory, and I need to get to thinking about the back to school stuff. And I don't know whether you've realised, but there's precious little in the fridge upstairs beyond cold pizza and a soggy old cabbage, and we don't even have pasta and rice now so we either need to go shopping or eat out, and I don't want to eat out all week." Fred noticed that her voice was sounding more and more stressed. "I don't have the energy for much at all," she said, sighing. "Oh, hello there," she said, and Fred turned to see Oswald swooping to sit on the edge of the wicker basket that sat on the corner of Hermione's desk and served as her in tray.

Hermione quickly opened her desk drawer and swapped Oswald's letter for a couple of owl treats.

"Do you want me to tell Georgie we won't be going for brunch then?" Fred asked. His face, when Hermione looked up with concern in her eyes, was expressionless, and for once she couldn't sense his emotion through their bond. She realised that he must have damped it down. He must be disappointed in her for not remembering.

"I'm so sorry," she said, her eyes filling with tears as she read what was on the letter that Oswald had brought. "I forgot that, and," she half-heartedly waved the letter at him, "I forgot that I also said I would meet Ron and Harry for coffee in the Alley this morning. I forgot to close the kitchen window, and I forgot we need food, and I feel like I'm a rubbish wife and an even more rubbish employee and friend and sister and…" She trailed off, her throat thick with a lump that she tried to swallow, and her eyes overflowing with tears. "I just feel really crap, Fred. Crap and overwhelmed, and…" Fred struggled to hear her through her tears, "…and I just want my Mum…"


	92. A Weasley Sandwich

Well, due to world events this chapter nearly didn't get posted today, but I finally found time. The nature of my work means that I might not be able to stick to my usual uploading schedule in these difficult times, but I'll try.

"Hey," said Fred, reaching Hermione's desk in two strides and then kneeling in front of her chair. He had, if he was honest, initially been a bit annoyed when he realised that Hermione had forgotten their agreement to have brunch with George and Angie. But now he felt ashamed, and his feeling of annoyance was overwhelmed by one of concern when he sensed how awfully sad Hermione felt about everything. And Fred would do anything he could to stop Hermione feeling sad.

He didn't know where to begin, though. Partly because he was also feeling guilty. He should not have allowed them to become so carried away with the lust they felt from George and Angelina's bonding magic that they made themselves both feel sore. He could have just as easily thought about the kitchen window, and the shopping. He felt dreadful that he had been so focused on the shop that he hadn't realised how much Hermione must still be missing her parents. And, given the night they had had, he should have thought to insist that she took the day off before it had come to this. Tears pricked at his own eyes.

"Come here…" He pulled her towards him and stroked her head as he cradled it into his shoulder. "I'm so sorry," he whispered into her ear. "Those things are my responsibility too. I'm so sorry about your parents, and I promise we'll make finding them our main focus from now on."

Fred was relieved to feel Hermione's body respond and relax to his touch. He held her closely, stroking her back and feeling a wave of love as she turned into him and pressed her face to his. Fred silently spat out a chunk of her hair that had sneaked between his lips.

"Kingsley's on that," she mumbled into his ear after a few moments. "I know he's doing all he can," she said, pulling away slightly and looking into Fred's eyes while stroking the hair on the nape of his neck. "And I know it's safer for them to stay hidden for now. I just miss them," she told him, fresh tears forming and causing Fred to bring her closer to him again.

"I love you," he said simply.

"I love you too," she replied. "And it's OK," she said quietly. "Sometimes I just need to say stuff and have a cry while you hold me. You can't fix it, and you don't have to try," she said.

The stillness of their chat was broken by the sound of footsteps and then loud knocking on the door to their office.

"Morning! Oh Gods, sorry!" Charlie's voice went from cheerful to apologetic when he saw the two of them cuddled together by Hermione's desk. "Oh, love!" he added, looking around for somewhere to drop the things he was carrying when he saw Hermione's tear-streaked face.

"Hi," said Fred, still slightly choked up himself and a bit surprised to see his brother not wearing his son. Perhaps he had left Elliot in the play area, under Lee or Verity's watchful eye.

"Shall I go away?" Charlie asked, his voice full of concern. "Or is there something I can do to help? I brought tea," he offered, holding up a cup.

"No, you don't have to go, Charlie," Hermione said quietly. "I'm just having a moment. Or six. But please shut and ward the door. I don't want all the new employees to see me like this."

Fred and Charlie exchanged a glance once Charlie had done as Hermione requested. "Why don't we move to the sofa and make a sandwich?" Fred asked.

"I'm not hungry," Hermione said, shaking her head, and the two men let out an identical half-laugh.

"Not that kind of sandwich," Charlie said, setting three takeaway cups down on the coffee table and setting himself to tidy up. By the time Fred had persuaded Hermione to stand up and move to the middle seat of the office sofa, Charlie had removed Fred and George's product notes, relocated a slightly squashed box of fainting fancies and plumped up the cushions. He sat down on one side of Hermione, Fred sat on the other and, before she even realised what was happening, both men had wrapped their arms around Hermione and were encasing her in a tight snuggle.

"Now THIS is a proper Weasley sandwich," Fred murmured into her ear. "Invented for Gin-bug when she was little, and guaranteed to chase away nightmares and make anything feel a bit better." He looked up and caught Charlie's eye. "My lovely wife feels overwhelmed by everything, and sad about her parents," he said. "And we were drinking and up late and then up in the night and a couple of things went wrong in the flat this morning and we're both a bit … run down." He decided that that was a better word than sore.

"Not surprisingly, it's been a busy few weeks for all of us," replied Charlie, pressing a kiss to Hermione's face and receiving his own mouthful of hair, which he untangled with a finger and then a shake of his head.

"Yeah, occupational hazard, that," Fred laughed softly, gently stroking the rest of Hermione's hair back from her face. "It's attacking us; your hair," he explained, when he saw her quizzical look.

"Are you OK, Charlie?" Hermione turned to her brother-in-law, her eyes full of concern.

"Fucksake, love!" Fred's voice was a little sharper than usual, and he stopped ministering to her curls. Hermione turned to him, anxious that she had upset him now. He sensed that, and groaned. "Stop bloody worrying about everyone else!" His eyes were full of concern, but it was clear that he was feeling strongly about this. It wasn't the first time they had had words on this topic.

"I'm fine," Charlie said, his voice softer. He took Hermione's hand in one of his. "And Fred's right, lovely. You can't be constantly putting everyone else's feelings above your own. What do YOU need right now?" he asked, loosening his hold on her just enough to sit up and reach for his wand. "Other than this lovely cup of tea that I brought you; are you ready for it?" Hermione nodded. Keeping his arm around Hermione, Charlie levitated everyone's drinks into their hands, maintaining contact with Hermione until she had taken a sip of her tea and considered her answer.

"I need a time turner so I can meet all my commitments and not let anyone down," she replied. "But they all got destroyed."

"Bollocks!" Fred exclaimed.

"No, they did; Minerva is sure," she told him, and he laughed, breaking the tension a bit.

"No," he said, resting his face against her cheek, "I mean bollocks do you need to find a way to keep your commitments to everyone else. Let's deal with that first. Would you rather we reschedule with the others?"

Charlie used his coffee cup to hide a grin. In that moment, Fred sounded a lot like Bill, when he was in older brother mode, but he decided to keep that comment to himself. For now.

Hermione considered Fred's question for a moment and then nodded. "I think I would," she said.

"Alright. Watch and learn," Fred said, summoning a charmed quill. "We'll write rather than using the phone; it'll be quicker because we won't have to answer questions. Hello lovebirds," he said, after flicking his wand at the quill to make it begin writing. "I'm sorry, but we're both knackered and we've got too much on here to get away. So please forgive us, but we're going to let you shag the day away by yourselves rather than coming over for brunch. We're still on for date night on Wednesday…" Fred looked at Hermione, who nodded vigorously in agreement. That was one commitment she always wanted to honour, "so see you then. Fred."

"Thank you," Hermione whispered. She was a little surprised that she hadn't thought of that herself, but she knew that was often the consequence when she became overwhelmed, at least since the end of the war. She had always managed to think so clearly before then. Or maybe it was just that a wider variety of things were happening these days. Their efforts during the war had always been very focused, so perhaps that was the issue.

Fred was rolling up the parchment and using his wand to attach it to Oswald's foot. "That one's for George," he told the owl, "but don't go just yet, because we might have another." He turned to Hermione, who was now resting her head on Charlie's shoulder as he drank his coffee and absentmindedly stroked her hair. "Do you want me to send one to the boys as well?"

"I'll write it," Hermione said, sitting up straighter and balancing the tea that Charlie had brought her. "Thank you, by the way," she told him with a smile, and he nodded in return. "I haven't even asked why you're here," she added.

"Yeah," Fred chimed in, glad to see that Hermione now seemed to be feeling better enough to be engaging in the conversation. "This is the first time you've come on your own for ages! Did you want the play area to yourself for a change, or did you drop Elliot off in the shop on your way in?" He glanced at the door, knowing that Lee and Verity would have gladly offered to look after Elliot for a while. He was no trouble, and they both loved kids. It would have been hard for anyone who didn't to work at the store.

Charlie shook his head. "He's with Lauren, in the car. They're picking up Mum and Dad and bringing them over to her cottage for the afternoon and evening."

"You didn't fancy going?" Hermione asked.

Charlie pulled a face. "I don't like riding in the car," he said, looking a bit sad and making Fred laugh. "Anyway…" Charlie pointed her back to the hovering quill. "You're not supposed to be worrying about me," he said. "When you've done that, I'll tell you why I'm here," he winked. "It's a good reason. Might even be helpful, under the circumstances." But before Hermione could ask again, he again pointed to the quill.

"Harry and Ron," she began, and the quill scribbled her words onto the parchment. "I have neglected you horribly for the past few weeks, and for that I am truly sorry. I really hope that things will get sorted out after Friday, and life can be a bit more normal again. Whatever normal is." She gave a short laugh. "In any case, I need to rearrange my life so the three of us have more time together again. But I'm going to have to postpone our coffee date today, and I'm sorry about that too. But I just have too much on, so can we please reschedule for next week, when I promise that I will buy you both the most enormous piece of cake as compensation. Love you both," she finished, and then sat back.

"Hermione," Fred said to the quill, and then waved his wand, making the parchment roll itself up so that Fred could fasten it by a ribbon that he attached to Oswald's foot. "This is Harry and Ron," he said, by means of explanation. "We don't want to hurt their brains by sending an unsigned letter," he winked, stopping Hermione's protest with a smiling kiss. "Now," he said, "we still need to work out how to help you with your day, but let's hear what Charlie Bear has to say, as he seems to think he might be able to help in some way…"

"Well, I came to make an offer and ask a favour," Charlie said. "I'm a bit reluctant to ask the favour now, though. I want to take things off your list, not add more!"

Hermione patted his leg with her hand. "I do feel better now we've cancelled some things though. I think … well it's more that I could use a bit of time to catch up with myself and get organised," she sighed.

Charlie nodded, and made an encouraging sound. Fred watched him carefully. This relationship stuff was still so new to Fred, and he wasn't arrogant enough to think he couldn't learn a bit from a brother who was a few years his senior and much more experienced with women. "We're listening, love," Charlie said softly, and Fred made a mental note of how much Hermione seemed to appreciate that phrase.

After another few moments of thought, Hermione looked at Fred. "You're right that I should focus on what I need. And what I need is to take the day off and go and sit somewhere quiet and sort my lists, and just rest a bit." She turned to Charlie. "This keeps happening. Somehow I need to find a way to remember that I need to sit down with myself regularly and do this, but I forget, and then I get overwhelmed again."

Charlie nodded.

"And I need to prioritise. Groceries is pretty high on the list, else we'll have nothing for dinner!"

"Well, actually," Charlie put a hand on her arm, and paused until she looked at him. "That's one of the reasons why I'm here. I was wondering if you'd like to come over to the cottage for dinner tonight? We need to get Bill and Fleur over, and I was going to ask if you could pick them up on your way, but Dad and I can go and get them if that's too much. But it'd save you cooking, and no-one'll mind if you leave early..."

"That does sound nice," said Hermione, turning to Fred. "And it would give us more time to get groceries in." They paused to sense each other's emotions through their bond, confirming that they both felt good about joining the family dinner. She turned back to Charlie. "We could easily bring Bill and Fleur."

"Well that one's easy, then," Fred said to his brother. "We'd love to come, and we'll be happy to lend our location wisdom and apparition skills to bring the De La Weasleys to the party." He grinned at his own joke, and was pleased to see that it made Hermione smile too. He loved bringing a smile to her face, especially at times like this. "What time? Or shall I owl Bill?"

"Yeah, check with him," said Charlie. "Lauren thinks she and your folks will be back by three or four, so I reckon any time after about six would work."

"We can phone them, anyway," Hermione reminded Fred, tapping the pocket in her robes where she kept her magical phone.

Fred nodded. "OK."

Charlie patted Hermione's arm again. "I've got a few hours to spare," he said, and then looked at Fred. "Assuming Fred can't easily take the day off with George away…" He trailed off, pausing until Fred had confirmed that thought with a reluctant nod, which led Hermione to squeeze his leg in reassurance. "Well, I'm going to volunteer to be your assistant, love. I'll do whatever errands you need, I'll get groceries, and Fred can man the shop with Georgie away and you won't have to worry."

"Thank you," Hermione whispered.

"Cheers." She caught the look of relief and gratitude that Fred gave his brother. He didn't want Hermione to be alone, but he did feel responsible for keeping things going at the shop, especially as they were all coupling up and settling down and, marriage law depending, perhaps starting families sooner rather than later. Quickly, he suppressed that thought, not wanting to add to Hermione's load.

Charlie grinned. "We'll have a great time," he said. "If you play your cards right, I'll let you in on my grand plan to show Lauren how we're not joking about flying on broomsticks." He raised his eyebrows and looked to Fred. "Even when we talked about flying the cottage yesterday," he chuckled, "she thinks we're going to drive under it in cars or something, and use wands to move the cottage from the ground!"

"Brilliant," said Fred. "What are you planning?"

"No idea," Charlie laughed. "But I'll figure something out." He turned back to Hermione. "And maybe you can help me, too…"

"Seriously?" Fred sounded incredulous. "You know she doesn't do brooms, right? Well, not without Georgie or I behind her. Though she'd probably get on with you," he mused, grinning at Hermione, who laughed, despite herself. She was feeling better for the love that she was feeling from two of her favourite men. But, with the way her body felt at the moment, she didn't think she would want to get on a broom ever again, with anyone.

"Nothing to do with brooms," Charlie said, smiling at his sister-in-law. "I need a bit of womanly muggle advice. Want to buy Lauren a present…" He smiled again, and Hermione's eyes flashed with realisation. Charlie wanted to buy Lauren an engagement ring, and he was keen to buy a muggle ring, but he needed help from someone who understood muggle shopping and money better than he did.

"I'd love to help," Hermione said, trying not to get too excited in case she had the wrong idea. "Is it urgent?"

Charlie pulled an apologetic face. "It kind of is," he said. "But you need to rest and make your lists and get on top of your own stuff, not have me adding things."

"But you're doing errands and grocery shopping for me this morning, and you're saving us from making dinner tonight," Hermione said.

"And I'll be your assistant until just before three if that would help," he smiled. "I've got nothing else to do til then. You could give me jobs off your list and I could get some of them done while you're resting and sorting things out. It's about time you learned the art of delegation," he winked.

"Too bloody right," said Fred, kissing Hermione's neck and making her smile. He relaxed a bit. Having Charlie take care of Hermione was a great solution. And, for reasons that Fred didn't fully understand, Charlie always seemed to be able to say the right thing when women were upset or in need. Perhaps it was because Tonks had been his best friend at school, he thought, feeling a wave of sadness at the loss of their friend and her beloved husband.

"Well why don't we start on your stuff and see how you feel by lunchtime?" Charlie shifted forward on the sofa and drained his coffee. "We could settle you on the sofa with your lists and maybe I can tidy the kitchen and the flat a bit while you get yourself organised, and then you can let me know what the plan is."

"Alright then," Hermione smiled. "That sounds really good." She looked at Fred, who nodded.

"The shop's under control," he said, nodding towards the door, "and I'll be fine. Enjoy your day off. You two do whatever you need to, and," he took Hermione's face gently into his hands and stroked her cheeks, "just make sure you get yourself sorted and rested so you can enjoy our dinner," Fred said. "And watching Dad have a lovely time visiting a muggle cottage! That sounds like a great way to de-stress!"

Fred gave Hermione a kiss before standing and then leaving the room. She watched him striding off towards the shop floor, knowing through the bond that he was smiling to himself. If Charlie thought he was being subtle about his shopping intentions, he was very much mistaken. It was very clear to Fred that he was ready to buy Lauren a ring and propose marriage, and Fred couldn't be happier at the thought that his brother was going to settle down with his family and be nearby to visit the shop on a regular basis.

But Fred was still concerned about Hermione. He really needed to put some things in place to support her more. Ever since George's wedding, the seed of a thought had been growing in the back of Fred's mind. He needed to send some owls.


	93. Arthur's car ride

Just a quick note to say hello and send happy thoughts to everyone out there at this weirdest of times. I know that many of you, like me, are isolated at the moment. I don't always read comments on this site, as I have stopped posting everything but the remainder of this fic on here, but a friend sent me some of the ones from this fic recently, and I wanted to say thank you to those who are sharing happy and positive thoughts. I hope you're all safe, and here's Arthur enjoying his first journey in Lauren's car as a way to take your mind into happier places :-)

Arthur Weasley's cup was overfilling. He had been so excited about his trip to Lauren's cottage since he awoke that morning that, by eleven o'clock, Molly had sent him to his shed with the newspaper just so she could have some peace. "Or go to your office at the Ministry and I'll floo call you when they arrive," Molly had offered as an alternative.

"Not likely," Arthur grinned. He had announced to his staff by owl that morning that he was taking the day to 'work in the field', knowing that what he would learn from his day with Lauren would easily justify him taking the time away from his desk. He had sat himself outside his shed, in a deckchair, pretending to read the paper while fantasising about the things he might learn in his day. And he was so alert that, when Lauren turned her little blue car up the track to The Burrow, he had his chair, paper and tea cup away and the shed door locked before she had even parked and put the handbrake on.

"Welcome, welcome," he said, opening the little car's back door of his own accord and greeting Elliot. Confused at first when the little boy didn't jump out, he understood only when Lauren climbed into the back seat through the other door and explained to Arthur how a muggle child's car seat worked. Delighted with his new-found expertise, Arthur strapped a giggling Elliot in and out of his car seat five times before finally Elliot become bored with his grandfather's new game and declared that he wanted to get out of the car.

"Sorry, sorry," said Arthur, gathering Elliot into his arms and remembering to shut the car door to keep the gnomes out before he followed Lauren to the kitchen.

Arthur's excitement was very clear to Lauren and not just because he was repeating everything twice. She could see that it would be cruel to have a long stay at The Burrow when he was so very keen to get into the car. "Quick cup of tea and a wee," she said in answer to Molly's question about what she would like before they got back on the road. She stretched her body a little, enjoying being able to stand up again. "I'll have plenty of time to rest when we get home. Charlie's going to fire up the barbeque, so all I need to do is get salad and wine out of the fridge."

"Oh, you have a fridge!" said Arthur happily. "I'd like to help with that, if I may."

"You may help with anything you like," Lauren told him, patting his arm. "I'll give you the grand tour when we get there, and then Molly and I can sit back while you and Elliot explore…"

Arthur's delight was compounded when Lauren and Molly agreed that he should sit in the passenger seat, up front and next to Lauren, for the journey itself. He began examining the dials and displays on the dashboard even before Lauren had done a three-point turn and driven the length of The Burrow's drive, slowing so that she didn't hit any of the chickens that were pecking for bugs among the stones. While Molly explained to Elliot how they would be fed and put to bed if everyone was still out when it got dark (the answer to which involved a charmed chicken house), Arthur embarked upon a comparative analysis of the dashboards of Lauren's car and his own Ford Anglia, which was safely home (thanks to the twins) but (thanks to Ron and Harry) rather a lot the worse for wear.

"Well, mine might be a bit newer, I think." Lauren was trying to be subtle, but Arthur wasn't ashamed of the age of his pride and joy.

"Oh undoubtedly," he said. "I worked on that one for years." He leaned a little closer, hoping Molly wouldn't hear his next words. "I was secretly delighted when Fred and George took it for a ride with Ron one day, to help Harry out of a spot of bother. I hadn't got round to testing it myself."

"There was nothing secret about your delight, Arthur Weasley!" Clearly, Molly had heard, and Lauren quickly checked the rear-view mirror, trying to read her mood. She was relieved to see a twinkle in Molly's eye. "There I was," Molly rolled her eyes at Lauren, "trying to reprimand the three of them for just taking it off during the night without even thinking about permission or safety, and Arthur's first words were to ask them how it went! And," she turned to her husband, "don't think I don't know that you snuck off later to get a fuller report from Fred and George!"

Lauren laughed, thinking that the Weasley home must have been a fun one to grow up in. She glanced at Elliot while checking the turn onto the main road out of the village, glad that he would soon have a little cousin to play with, and hoping that more Weasley grandchildren were on the horizon. Molly had also mentioned getting together with a friend called Andromeda, who was caring for her orphaned grandson, Teddy.

After getting home from George and Angelina's wedding the previous evening, she had dreamt about moving the cottage to The Burrow's grounds. Her dream had been filled with happy thoughts about being able to live a life that embraced both her own and Charlie's roots. What would cap it off, she had said to Charlie that morning, before she had left with Elliot and he had flooed to the shop, was if at least one or two of his siblings also wanted to move there. Lauren wanted community more than anything else; it was the thing she had missed the most since her parents' deaths. They had been sociable people; their house always open to friends and neighbours and filled with academic debate and friendly, laughing conversation. Lauren hadn't yet managed to achieve the same thing in her adult life, and she was still awed at the fact that not only were she and Charlie together again, but he had this enormous and lovely family which had already given her and Elliot such a sense of community and security.

Charlie had been honest with her. He wasn't sure that Fred and George would want to live at The Burrow. Or, perhaps more importantly, he wasn't sure what Hermione and Angelina would think about the idea. It could go either way, he had said.

Lauren looked fondly at his parents as she recalled the conversation, feeling a sense of joy at being able to offer them hospitality and, at least in Arthur's case, an experience that was clearly already exceeding his expectations.

"You can open that if you like," she offered, seeing Arthur fingering the black plastic casing in front of him. When he struggled to do so, she checked the road ahead and then leaned over a bit, showing him how to press with his fingers and release the plastic catch of the glove compartment.

"Marvellous technology!" he declared, tentatively probing the moving part of the catch and then opening and closing the little door a total of nine times before Molly asked him to stop. Lauren was working hard to suppress laughter, and already looking forward to being able to share the story of this experience with Charlie, Fred and George, who she was sure would enjoy hearing about it.

Happily for everyone, Arthur was kept busy for the next twenty minutes examining the contents of the glove compartment, which included maps, baby wipes and an orange plastic dinosaur which Elliot insisted on reclaiming as soon as he saw it. Further exploration revealed a packet of tissues, a half-empty strip of paracetamol and several assorted bags of car sweets. Lauren made sure Arthur knew that the paracetamol weren't for sharing and explained the car sweet distribution rules, just as she had done for Charlie a couple of weeks prior. Arthur unwrapped a humbug for Lauren and offered the bags around the occupants of the back seat before choosing a map to study.

"It's quite a novelty," Molly remarked, as she sucked on a rhubarb and custard sweet.

Lauren caught her eye in the rear-view mirror. "How do you mean?"

"Well," Molly indicated her mouth with a finger. "It doesn't taste like slugs, it hasn't changed form or taste since I first put it into my mouth and," she leaned into the middle of the seat to check her appearance in the mirror, "unless I'm mistaken, my hair hasn't changed colour. I can't remember the last time I had a sweet that was just a sweet!"

All of them laughed, and then Elliot held up a gummy worm between his thumb and finger. "Worm!" he said. It was very sticky, having been held in his mouth for a couple of minutes before he had removed it to show them.

"So it is," said Molly. "You can keep that one," she laughed, and Lauren was pleased to see that she seemed to be taking the journey in her stride. She had wondered whether Molly would find the car journey as stressful as Charlie had seemed to.

"I'm fine, lovely," the older witch said when Lauren asked her how she was doing, adding that Charlie hadn't much enjoyed his own car ride. "Charlie and Bill haven't travelled in cars much, if at all." Her mind wandered for a moment before continuing. "But by the time we had the youngest five all at school, and then Harry and Hermione were often with us by the end of the holidays too, it was easier to go by car than to put them all through the floo network or try to apparate them. The Ministry cars are a little different than yours," she added, looking around and realising that Lauren's car probably didn't have an expansion spell that could be called upon for a large family, "but I'm used to travelling at speed in a car. Much more than Charlie, anyway."

Lauren nodded, and then her attention was caught by a sign on the road. "Oh," she said, glancing down at the dashboard. "I nearly forgot. I need to stop for petrol. I hope that's OK? It seemed easier to wait til you were with me, and then I don't have to get Elliot out of his seat to come in with me to pay. I don't like to leave him in the car by himself, even just for a few minutes."

"We're going to an actual petrol station?" The voice was Arthur's, but the degree of excitement in his voice was closer to Elliot's usual level.

"Yes." Lauren couldn't help laughing a bit. "A real, live petrol station. Well," she added hastily, lest Arthur got the wrong idea, "not actually live. That's just an expression."

"And tell me," Arthur said, turning in his seat to face her, as she flicked on the indicator and began to slow as they approached the turn-off, "just how do petrol stations work, exactly?"

"Well," Lauren replied, catching Molly's eye in the mirror again. The older woman was laughing and had a look of apology on her face. Lauren reached back briefly to touch Molly's knee, letting her know that she was OK with what was happening. Molly patted her fingers in return. "If Mum and Elliot don't mind waiting in the car, you can get out and I'll show you…"

Arthur was one of the keenest students that Lauren ever taught. It took him a moment or two to master undoing his own seatbelt but, once he was out of the car, he watched as Lauren showed him how she used her car key to unlock the little door on the side of her car, and then obediently unscrewed the cap off her car's petrol tank as she directed him.

"Now," she said, under her breath, taking the cap from his hands and putting it on the roof of the car as he gazed around in wonder. "Don't forget, you mustn't get your wand out, no matter what. I'm going to put the nozzle into the hole in the petrol tank, look, like this, and then we press its handle. It'll make a noise, but that's just the petrol flowing. Do you see?"

Arthur saw, and was delighted to take over, though it took him two or three goes to remember that he had to keep pressing the handle to make the petrol continue flowing.

"In America and New Zealand and some other countries," Lauren explained, "they have a clip which holds the handle down until it's full. So you don't have to keep pressing it while it's pumping." She shrugged. "But we don't have those over here. I don't know why."

"Oh," Arthur said, under his breath, leaning closer to Lauren and speaking in a hushed voice, as if the two of them were spies, collecting and sharing important information. "So there are differences between muggles in different countries?"

"Yes, of course," said Lauren, and Arthur's eyes widened as he took in that information. He had only before dealt with British muggles, and their customs were exciting enough. He was startled from his thoughts as the petrol pump made a clunking sound which he felt in his hand. "It's OK," she said quickly, storing away her question on comparative wizarding culture for later. Perhaps she would keep it for when she and Charlie next saw Bill and Fleur. Although she imagined that Minerva or her new dancing friend Filius might also be able to teach her a few things as well. "It's just telling us that the tank is full. Put the nozzle back on its hook and we'll put the cap back on and do the tank door back up and pay."

Molly laughed out loud to see the look on her husband's face when, four minutes later, he emerged from the door of the petrol station as the proud owner of a packet of smokey bacon flavour crisps and a small plastic tub of breath-freshening mints.

"I paid," he told her proudly, as he got back into the car. "Well, with Lauren's money," he added, "but I paid and we bought these." He showed her and Elliot his offerings.

"You're spoiling him!" Molly told Lauren, who just laughed.

"It's too much fun not to let him try all these new experiences!" she replied, as she checked her mirror and pulled away towards the petrol station exit. "Put them there," she said, indicating to Arthur that he should put the change that he was holding in his hand into a small pot nestled in the console just in front of the gear stick. "I always put my coins in there," she told him, "and then I always have small change when I need it for parking."

"I do really appreciate all of this," Arthur exclaimed, settling himself back in the passenger seat to study his mints and crisps. Once he had worked out how to open the crisp packet, with a few words of advice from his grandson, he looked back at the pot with the coins in. "So tell me…" He looked across at Lauren again, who had by that point got them back onto the M5 and headed towards home. "How does parking work, exactly?" he asked, and that conversation and Arthur's spin-off questions lasted them pretty much all the way home.


	94. Charlie's Domestic Heroism

Hermione's Monday morning turned out much better once she had come to terms with the idea that she needed to take a day off and accept some help. True to his word, Charlie jumped into action to serve as her assistant. As soon as she had gathered what she needed from her office and given Fred a long kiss goodbye, she had allowed Charlie to usher her up to the flat and install her on the sofa. His very next action was to squat down beside her and make a few kissing noises of his own. Hermione was slightly confused until Crookshanks came running towards him, excited to see the dragon keeper who always knew exactly where to rub him.

"Your mistress needs some love, mate," Charlie told the orange cat, who he then lifted carefully up onto the sofa. Hermione smiled to see the look of slight surprise on Crookshanks' squashed face. Her cat turned around a couple of times and then settled down to continue his nap against Hermione's hip.

Minutes later, Charlie was in an apron, finishing the kitchen clean up and doing some laundry. As Hermione made her list, Charlie would visit periodically to see what he could take off it, and by late morning, he had also popped out to a local store and come back with the ingredients to make a huge batch of chicken soup. Seeing that Hermione had dozed off with her arm around Crookshanks while writing her lists, he had carefully placed her notebooks on the table, tucked a quilt around them both, cast a silencing charm and mirror phone called Molly while stirring the pot.

"I told her on their wedding day to let me know how I could help." Molly scolded Charlie from the back seat of Lauren's car as if he were Hermione herself, once he explained his reason for calling. "Right," she said, all efficiency, making Arthur smile at Lauren, who looked a bit worried. "Do you have a quill? Well, get one then!"

Lauren whispered her concern to Arthur as they drove along the 'A' road that led to her village. "It's not a busy road; but it's not normal to talk to mirrors in the muggle world," she said. "I'm a bit worried that someone might see." She refrained from speaking her next thought out loud, which was that perhaps people in passing cars might just think that Molly was a bit batty. She smiled to herself at that thought as Arthur patted her arm. He told her not to worry and then, holding his wand below the level of the window so that he wouldn't add to the problem, cast a charm on his wife that would prevent her from being seen by anyone outside the car.

Once the soup was done, Charlie popped to check on Hermione, who was still snoozing. Charlie smiled, petted the now half-awake Crookshanks and placed a note and a mug of the soup on the table beside the sofa, under a warming charm. He didn't want Hermione to worry if she woke and realised that he was gone. Then, armed with the list that Molly had dictated, he flooed to The Burrow and filled a box with ready-made meals. Molly was in the habit of portioning out leftovers and placing them under a long-term preservation charm, and her stocks were higher than usual thanks to the busyness of the past few weeks and the additional family gatherings.

Back at Fred and Hermione's flat, Charlie ensured that he had situated everything on Molly's dictated list in the kitchen and renewed the preservation charm before going back to see Hermione, who was by that point awake and happily tucking into the soup.

"This is marvellous, Charlie," she said. "Just what I needed, thank you."

"It's my pleasure, love," he said. "I did pop down and offer some to Fred for his lunch, but he seemed happy with one of those big doorstop sandwiches that Lee likes to get!"

"They love those monstrosities," Hermione wrinkled her nose a bit at the thought of eating all that bread. "He and George and I have slightly different ideas on what constitutes a nourishing meal!"

"Well you won't need to worry about that too much for the next few weeks," he said, passing her the parchment containing the list of meals that Molly had sent him over to The Burrow for. Hermione smiled to see the ticks beside them which illustrated how Charlie had followed his mother's directions to the letter. Even the unconventional dragon keeper wanted to stay on Molly's good side. "Mum sent you these. I know Freddie does most of the cooking, but this will give the two of you more time just to be together. She says she'll be sending you home with a few dinners each Sunday until you've got things straight, and you're not to argue. She loves it," he added, when he saw that Hermione wanted to protest. "Your Mum works as a teeth healer, right?" he asked, and Hermione nodded.

"She does. Well, she did," she added. Hermione didn't know what her Mum was doing now. She just hoped that she was safe, and happy.

"Well my Mum had a full-time job taking care of eight other people," Charlie said. "It was her life's purpose and, as we've moved away, she's had less purpose. Let her help you," he urged. "It makes her feel good too."

Hermione nodded. That made sense, and something clicked in her mind. It was okay to let other people gain the same kind of satisfaction helping her as she gained from helping them. And maybe even a good thing. She swayed a bit as that thought washed over her, a little stunned by the realisation.

"Thanks, Charlie," she said, her fingers busy stroking Crookshanks' thick orange fur. "For everything. I don't know what I'd have done without you today."

A slow grin spread across Charlie's face. "My Lady Mione," he said, taking her hand. "I am forever going to be in your debt. No," he urged, seeing her about to protest, "don't argue. Without you, I might not have found the woman I love. I might never have known about my son. I could have ended up as the cheery uncle who was secretly sad and lonely because he never reconnected with his own true love. I'm always going to be here for you, and I know Lauren feels the same."

"Next to marrying Fred," Hermione smiled, "sending that email to Lauren was the best thing I've done all summer."

"I've got something to tell you," Charlie said, and Hermione looked at him with a sudden and wide smile on her face.

"Are you going to propose?" Hermione asked. "Are we going out to buy a ring?" She looked excited, and then another thought crossed her face, making the smile fall a little. "Do you think Lauren will be OK with that?" Hermione spoke hesitantly, knowing that Lauren's view of marriage was not likely to be a conventional one. And, given how much Hermione loved Charlie, she would rather risk having him be upset with her than seeing him sad if Lauren didn't take a marriage proposal well.

Much to Hermione's surprise, Charlie responded to her concern with a wink and a laugh. "No, yes and it's irrelevant," he said, leaning forward and smiling as she took a minute to match his answers to her questions. "Because she already proposed to me, but yes, I'd like to buy her a ring." As he spoke, he cast a finite on his left hand and showed Hermione the twist of multi-coloured thread that Lauren had fashioned into rings for them both.

"Charlie!" Hermione's soup mug hit the carpet as she sprang forward to hug him. "That's beautiful," she said, and Charlie nodded.

"I know." He covered his makeshift ring up again, knowing that Lauren wasn't ready to share their news more widely yet. "So do you think we can find something that she would like? It's not just your muggle money expertise I'm after," he grinned. "But Lauren's taste is, well, not exactly middle of the road, so I'm hoping we can find something that would suit her?"

"I'm sure we can," Hermione had said, gathering her notes. "Let's go now. I really do feel like I'm getting on top of my lists, and I'm full of pain potion. I'm ready to stretch my legs a bit. I'm so excited for you both. Oh!" she exclaimed, feeling Fred's enthusiasm too. "Do I need to close the bond? I'm making Fred excited too, and he's trying to work out why! What should I tell him?"

"Tell him the truth, love. You don't have to keep this from Freddie," Charlie said, much to Hermione's relief. "Although we're not public yet. Lauren wanted to tell you herself, last night, but she said she couldn't get you alone."

Hermione smiled, a hit of blush coming to her cheeks. "We were a bit affected by the bonding magic," she said. She paused for a moment, looked around and then leaned in. This was Charlie and, other than Fred, he was the Weasley sibling she felt most comfortable talking to about sex. Even more so than Ginny, she had come to realise lately. Ginny was a dear friend, but she was prone to encourage Hermione to explore beyond her comfort zone. Charlie always sought to work out where Hermione was comfortable and then meet her there, which Hermione really appreciated at this point in her relationship with Fred. "Four times between when they got married and when we got to sleep," she whispered, "AND I had my period! Thank goodness for Fleur and her vast knowledge of secret witches' spells! No wonder I'm exhausted and needing a day of rest! I'm sore though," she confided with a bit of a grimace.

"Oh," he said, "well I know Lauren has some stuff for tiredness and aches. It's a muggle thing that she puts in the bath. Called epp sum salts or something. I'm sure she would give you some."

"Epsom salts? Of course," Hermione exclaimed. "Why didn't I think of that!" Then her eyes filled with tears again. "My mum used to put them in my bath when I didn't feel well. She said it made everything better, and it really did seem to." She attempted a smile through her tears. "I can get some while we're out."

"Are you sure you're OK to go out?" Charlie asked.

"Yes," she said, and then sighed. "Some fresh air will do me good, now that the rain has stopped." She looked out of the window to check, and smiled to see the sun shining again. "I've been thinking. I don't think it's my lack of organisation that's the problem here."

Charlie frowned. "You're one of the most organised people I know!"

"Exactly," she said. "It's not me; it's all the things going on around me. Too many things happening in a short space of time, and I'm not keeping up." She sighed, looking at Charlie and having an internal debate with herself before she spoke again. "I think I might have bitten off more than I can chew with the shop," she said, her voice becoming quieter as she nodded towards the lists, "though I feel disloyal by telling you that before I tell Fred."

"Love," Charlie said, reaching for her hand. "Not that I have any experience, but being married doesn't mean you only need to talk to Freddie," he reassured her. "It's OK to talk to other people when you need to."

Her gaze was questioning.

"It really is," he continued. "I know it might be complicated, with Freddie being able to sense your emotions through the bond. It's going to have disadvantages as well as benefits," he said quietly, watching Hermione's face as she listened intently. "You probably should talk to him about it. Both the shop thing and about how you'll both need to talk to other people." He paused for a moment before adding, "he has George, you know."

Unexpectedly, Hermione's eyes filled with tears. "Bloody hormones," she joked, wiping them away before swallowing to try to remove the lump in her throat. "I know," she said. "And I have Ron and Harry. And Ginny," she added. "And you, of course."

"Lots of Georges…"

Hermione smiled at that. "Thing have changed so much in the last few weeks," she told him. "One Saturday I woke up and my only plan for the day was to do some reading and some sewing and maybe sit in the garden and chat with Ginny. Molly … Mum had been doing all the cooking and planning in my life since war and all I had to do was to enjoy being a teenager for a change and try to recover a bit from everything that had happened."

She paused to collect her thoughts. Charlie waited patiently, knowing that this might be one of the most important conversations Hermione had had in recent weeks. "And then the next day," she continued, still stroking her cat, "literally the next day, I was getting married to Fred and then I was on my honeymoon and then Kingsley was wanting our help and then I was living in the flat and working in the shop and trying to get it all organised and adjusting to everything and then I helped find Lauren and then Ange proposed to George and then the school stuff came out and now we've got the Ball and all the plans for that and then the different options for doing NEWTS and I still don't know if we're going to find my parents and as much as I love your family, I still think about them all the time…" She hiked in a deep breath, her voice catching.

Charlie nodded, his eyes never leaving hers. "Go on, when you're ready," he whispered, after a few moments. "It's just you and me, love; you can say anything you want and it won't go any further."

"There are some days when I wish that, just for a day, I could be back in the garden at The Burrow and just take a day off from it all. Not," she said, her eyes wide and pleading for Charlie to understand, "that I'm not happy with Fred. I adore Fred, and I couldn't be happier. I just sometimes find it hard to cope with the speed of it all."

Charlie's hand engulfed hers. "I understand, lovely," he assured her. "This is all completely normal and understandable. You've had a lot to cope with and you're tired and overwhelmed. If Tonks was here," his own eyes filled with tears at that thought, "she'd go on about what your hormones are doing this week. Maybe Lauren could tell you about that too, I don't know, because we're still getting to know each other, but the point is that this is really, really OK. Do you hear me?" His voice was gentle. "Really OK, and really normal, and there's nothing wrong with you except that you need more time and space and fewer responsibilities than you've got right now. We need to make a care plan to get you through the week, get the Ministry stuff done and dusted, and then take some of these things off you so you can go back to recovering."

"A care plan?" Hermione asked.

"Yes," Charlie nodded. "That's what we make for dragons, when they need extra love and care and nourishment to get them through a crisis"

The level of kindness in that one line broke the dam and the tears began to flow down Hermione's face in earnest. Five seconds later, the door to the flat burst open and a redheaded man hurled himself towards the sofa and pulled Hermione into his arms.

"I'm so sorry," Fred breathed into her hair. "I had a difficult customer and I couldn't get up here any quicker." He had run up the stairs as soon as he could and his heart was beating more quickly than usual from worrying about what was happening for Hermione, having sensed her feelings as she talked with his brother.

"No, I'm sorry," Hermione replied. "I talked to Charlie and I should have talked to you."

"Love," Fred tipped her face towards him, giving his brother a grateful glance as he took Hermione's soup mug to the kitchen, giving them a moment of privacy. It made her smile when he went on to repeat Charlie's exact sentiment. "I have Georgie. It's only fair that you talk to Charlie, or Ginny, or Ron and Harry, or whoever you need to. Marriage isn't about exclusive conversation, you know."

She nodded. "I might need to get a book on marriage," she said. "It's all happened so quickly that I don't know if I've really had a chance to think through what it is about."

Fred's eyes widened. "You don't…"

"No!" Her words were almost shouted, having picked up his concern that she might be having regrets. Fresh tears flowed at the thought that she might have hurt him. "No, I don't regret it for a moment," she said. "I love you, Fred, more than anything. But I'm not coping with everything, and I think I've bitten off more than I can chew with offering to take on such a big role in the shop as well, and I feel terrible for letting you down, but I need to let some things go, and I need to prioritise you and our marriage," she sobbed.

"And your own health," Charlie added, resuming his earlier position as the other half of a Weasley sandwich.

"And my own health," Hermione said more quietly, before looking into Fred's eyes and adding, with a small smile, "I'm going to have a care plan, like baby dragons get."

"Brilliant," he laughed. "That sounds good. What does that involve?" he asked Charlie.

"A lot of chicken soup and hugging," Charlie said. "And maybe a bit more delegation is in order…"

"Well actually," said Fred, "I've been owling with George and Ange." He stroked Hermione's hands. "Angie's out of a job now, and she already has NEWTS, so she won't want to go back to school. I know you might want to," he said, patting her leg. "And that's OK," he assured her, looking between her and Charlie again. "You don't need to resign, love," he said. "But you and George and Angie and I need to sit down, and all work with you, love, to figure out how to get your timetable and plan implemented." He leaned in closer. "Without running you into the ground while we do it!" He pressed a kiss to Hermione's cheek, making her smile.

Charlie looked between the two of them for a moment before he spoke. "I don't mind helping you out a bit as well. I've promised to take Elliot out during the day so Lauren can work. We go to the park and stuff," he said. "Sometimes to Mum's, and of course sometimes Mum keeps him." They all laughed. "But I was thinking this morning that he and I could easily do things while we're out and about; we could help. Even if we're just Hermione's errand boys!"

That made Hermione laugh, and the brothers exchanged a happy look themselves. "I'd like that," she said. "Although Ron and Harry will probably make fun of me for being bossy."

"You leave Ron and Harry to me," Charlie grinned.

"In a weird way," Fred said, looking thoughtful. "Ron and Harry are part of the problem."

"How do you mean?" Hermione asked, and Fred smiled and touched her when he felt her getting a bit defensive towards her friends.

"I don't mean it unkindly," he assured her. "But, at school, you used to make them all sorts of timetables and planners, didn't you?"

Hermione nodded uncertainly, not sure where Fred was going with this.

"To help them," Fred continued. "But, as far as George and I could see, you still had to prod and poke them to do it anyway."

Hermione pulled a face. "I just wanted to make sure they didn't get behind," she said.

"And given that they're both alive, well and training to be Aurors, I'd say you did a damn fine job." Hermione laughed when Charlie put on a fake American accent to emphasise his point.

"You did," Fred agreed. "But Georgie and I don't need poking, love." He paused, to let that thought settle. "We're really self-motivated, especially in comparison to those two," he chuckled, "and what you've done for us already with the year planner is amazing enough. Even if you just lent us your planning skills to us for a day here and there, we can put it into action. That's what we've been doing all along."

Hermione shook her head as the penny dropped. She remembered how much of their own time and energy the twins had put into creating and selling their products at school, and realised the wisdom of Fred's words. "I hadn't thought," she said, but when she opened her mouth again to apologise, Fred instead covered it with a kiss. He had sensed her feeling and wanted her to know there was nothing to apologise for. Hermione sensed Fred's emotion in return and their kiss turned into a shared smile.

When the two parted, Charlie turned to his brother. "I hope you two know how amazing you are," he said to Fred. "We're all so bloody proud of what you and George have achieved already. It's because you've achieved so much so quickly that it's growing this way."

Fred wasn't sure how to respond to that, so he just nodded and said a quiet 'cheers', causing Charlie to give him a slap on the back, which made Hermione smile. They might both be well above average at self-awareness and at sharing their feelings in some ways, but neither were that good at accepting heartfelt compliments.

"I don't think there's any doubt that we need a bigger team, love," Fred said to Hermione. "The product day showed us that. But you don't have to take on more than you have time for."

"I love the idea of having more of the family involved in the shop," Hermione said. "But you've already got Elliot to look after, though," she told Charlie. "I thought you wanted to be a full-time dad?"

"I do" Charlie agreed cheerfully. "And if I get my way, I'll have another tiny Bennett-Weasley or three coming into my care within the next few years, so I'm not offering myself full-time or permanently either. Just saying I'd be happy to help you here and there, when I can."

"That's the best bit, though," Fred said. "This is what Georgie and I have been discussing since the war. We can make this a true family business. We can involve the kids, or they can hang out in the play area, and we can make sure that any of the family who want to can have a role. We're not the Ministry," he said, "or some other faceless bureaucratic organisation." He laughed. "That was one of the reasons that Georgie and I did this, to work in a different kind of way! We'll create a way of offering flexible work to anyone in the family who wants it, which is family friendly." He turned back to his brother. "I'm so glad you're into this too," he said.

"I am," Charlie smiled. "I have another offer too. When George and Angie get back and all the Ministry stuff is settled, have a look at your diaries and see if you can take a few days off. I could get you and my Lady Mione permission to visit the reserve and stay in my cabin, if you like. You can have a holiday, with no responsibilities. A proper honeymoon!"

"No owl arriving halfway through to pull us into a new plan to save the wizarding world?" Hermione asked.

Charlie grinned. "We won't even tell anyone where you are," he promised.

Well, he thought to himself, other than whoever has my cabin on their sex bingo card, as long as they're willing to make a deal…


	95. Arthur and the Potato Salad

Happy Tuesday! As I had so many lovely comments from people who enjoyed the last but one chapter about Arthur's car journey, I have, in this time of crisis, slipped in another Arthur-centric chapter, in the hope of spreading the kind of cheer that our favourite wizarding dad epitomises in these weird times.

"Alright then," Lauren said, turning to look at Arthur and just managing to stop herself from laughing when she saw him proudly wearing her 'kiss the cook' apron which he had found hanging on the kitchen door. She stepped forward, gave him a kiss on the cheek and then, when he looked surprised - though not unhappy - she pointed to the words on his chest. "Just following instructions," she smiled. "Now, where would you like to start?"

"Anywhere you like," he beamed, looking around the kitchen. "I'd like to learn everything! In fact," he added, "if you would excuse me for a moment…"

Lauren watched fondly as Arthur walked across the kitchen and out of the open door which led into the back garden. Molly was sitting in the sun, watching Elliot look through the grass for insects, with her feet up on a low table. She turned when Arthur emerged, having not expected to see him again for a while. Once the four of them had arrived at the cottage, Lauren had given Arthur and Molly a quick tour of where everything was and made everyone a cup of tea before suggesting that Molly might enjoy being outside with her grandson. She had then offered Arthur the chance to help her in the kitchen, which he had leapt at. So Molly was surprised and slightly confused to see him coming outside again so quickly.

But her puzzlement didn't last long. No sooner had he arrived by her side than he pulled his wand from his special muggle trousers – a pair with brown and yellow checks which he had worn on assignments since the 1960's, when a colleague had explained that they were the height of muggle fashion – and ceremonially placed his wand on the low table in front of Molly.

"I'm going muggle for the afternoon," he announced proudly, before going back inside to continue helping in the kitchen. Molly simply chuckled, looked fondly at her grandson, and turned her knitting needles to begin another row.

"Okay," Lauren said, tying her own apron strings and then opening the fridge to show Arthur the contents. "So, I've bought lots of easy salads that we can tip into bowls just before we're ready to eat, but I've got lots of potatoes in my organic veggie box and there are some fresh chives growing in the garden so I'm going to make a potato salad and I thought you might like to help?"

"Oh yes, definitely," said Arthur. "Where do we start?"

"By peeling and chopping the potatoes," Lauren replied. "So if you open that drawer, you can look for a peeler and a vegetable knife…" She indicated the cutlery drawer and Arthur obediently opened it and then excitedly peered in, scanning it for things that he didn't recognise.

"I'm guessing we have pretty much the same cutlery," Lauren said, knowing from her meals and Elliot's cooking sessions at The Burrow that this was the case, "though from just living with Charlie for a few weeks, I know that we have a few devices that you don't need, because you have magic." Remembering the incident with the cheese grater – or, rather, with the lack of need for the cheese grater because Charlie applied a simple grating charm to the block of cheese that she had handed him when they shared a chilli – she opened another cupboard and showed Arthur the grater.

"I don't know this," he exclaimed happily, "or this!"

"That's a potato masher and that one is a hand blender for when you make soup."

Arthur clutched his chest. "A potato masher!" His delight was palpable.

Lauren was happy that there was no rush on the potato salad and that they had time to invest in Arthur's enjoyment of his experience. She leaned back on the worktop and smoothed her hair back into the tiniest of ponytails. She could just about fit it into a scrunchie and she pulled a brightly-coloured one off her wrist and tied her hair up. As she did, her fingers brushed the thread that was tied around her wedding ring finger and she smiled to herself. Inhaling deeply, Lauren took just a moment to feel grateful for everything that she had in her life, and for the fact that she was now part of this wonderful, loving family. In doing so, she didn't catch Arthur's next words and had to ask him to repeat what he had said.

"I wondered if you would like me to make you a family clock one day?" he asked Lauren, as he ran his fingers over the teaspoons.

Lauren came to stand next to him and put her hand gently on his back. It was clear that his question was referencing something that he could see in the drawer, but she wasn't sure what that could possibly be.

"Out of cutlery?" She managed to keep her voice neutral and not express surprise, thankful for her years of conducting interviews with people from all sorts of backgrounds. Perhaps this was what Arthur did in his shed.

"Well," Arthur said, touching a large fork, "I don't reckon I can do much with a fork, to be honest. That's more Fred and George's department." He pursed his lips, lost in thought for a moment. "Teaspoons are more my medium," he said, pulling one from the drawer. "I … K … E … A … he read. What does that stand for?"

"It doesn't stand for anything," Lauren smiled. "It's the name of a shop that sells things for the home. A big one. Just off the motorway that goes out of Bristol. I'll take you for your birthday, if you like," she promised. "When is your birthday?"

"February the sixth," he said, and Lauren took a pen from the pot on her shelf and made a note on her calendar.

"Oh!" Arthur was delighted to see the pens. "Can I see?"

"Of course." Lauren handed the mug over. "Which reminds me," she said. "I have a present for you. Hang on a sec." Arthur waited patiently as Lauren went into the small spare bedroom that she used as an office and came back through the hall and into the kitchen with something in her hand. "Here," she said, "I got this for you at the shop in the village. I thought you might like to take notes."

Arthur took the object and carefully turned it around in his hands. "Spiral bound reporter's notebook," he read from the cover, while fingering the twists of plastic at the top of the object. "What does it do?" he asked.

"It's for writing notes in. Here, let me show you." Lauren held her hand out for it again and showed Arthur that the book was full of paper. He exclaimed at how thin the sheets were – much more efficient than parchment – and was even more delighted to see how he could hold the notebook in his hand and fold a sheet back once he had written upon it. "Here's your other present," she said, handing over a plastic pen that had four long buttons down the side, each a different colour. "It has four different coloured inks, and you just press the one you want … look," she demonstrated as she talked, "and you can write in your notebook with it. If you'd like to."

She was engulfed in a hug before she had finished that sentence. "It's marvellous," Arthur said. "Thank you so much! I really do need to make you a clock," he continued. "I have so many clocks to make for you all that I should get started, like Molly and her jumpers," he said. He looked into the distance. "See, I was still deciding whether they should be marriage presents or housewarming presents or first child presents," he continued, speaking more to himself than Lauren, "and I had started gathering spoons for Bill, but now you and Charlie have beaten him to the first grandchild, of course," he beamed. "If we could go to I … K … E … A … then that would help me enormously. We don't have shops that just specialise in things for the home. Well, not things like teaspoons, anyway." He looked off into the distance. "Of course, I need to think carefully about Fred and George. I imagine they'll want to have each other on theirs, although maybe some of the rest of you will, too. We need to have a clock meeting," he declared.

Lauren had come to the conclusion that Arthur somehow incorporated teaspoons into his clock mechanism, which at least made some sense, but his comment about Fred and George being on each other's clocks had confused her again. Before she had a chance to ask more, though, Arthur had sat himself down at the kitchen table, opened his reporter's notebook and clicked through and written his name, the date and, after checking with Lauren, the exact address of her cottage in three different colours of ink before settling on green to write some notes to himself.

Lauren decided to leave Arthur to his notes and ask Charlie about the clock later. She busied herself getting a chopping board out, putting a few large potatoes on a tray and filling a saucepan with water. As she stood at the sink, she heard a quiet noise at the kitchen door and turned to see her son standing there. But before Lauren could say anything, Elliot waved to her and then immediately ran back out again. In the distance, she heard him answering the question that Molly had sent him to investigate. "Gandad's colouring!" he exclaimed.

She smiled. "Let's make another cup of tea before we set you to work on the potato salad," she said. "I bet Molly would like that."

"Indeed she would," Arthur agreed. Having finished his notes, he put his notebook and pen carefully into his pocket and then stood up again, tentatively approaching the corner of the kitchen where the kettle stood amidst a large collection of coloured boxes of teabags. "Now, tell me," he said, in his usual mild tone. "Does it have a hard bite?"

"The kettle?" Even the unflappable Lauren was surprised by that one. "Why would it … bite?"

"Ah, well that's a jolly good question," Arthur replied, subconsciously reaching for his wand and then wondering if he would regret having left it outside as Lauren lifted the kettle off its stand and took it to the tap. She was very brave, he thought, but perhaps she had some kettle taming experience. Maybe that was something that she and Charlie had in common. Arthur pursed his lips, thankful that he could at least do something wandless if need be. He carefully stood guard as Lauren filled the kettle with cold water, replaced it on its little plastic stand and then pressed a switch. A light went on, and Arthur struck an offensive pose, ready to defend them both from the errant plastic jug-like enemy.

"Behind me!" he instructed, waving for Lauren to move so that he could protect her from the threat, which was now making a noise.

"Honestly," she said, reaching for his arm and patting it, "it's okay, Arthur. This is normal behaviour for a kettle. It's quite safe. Look," she gently encouraged him to come closer to the counter. "Let me explain how it works. Oh!" She exclaimed, having just remembered something. "I know what I have … I bet you'll love this! You can borrow it if you like."

Lauren led Arthur into the sitting room and sat him in an armchair while she squatted down and looked through her bookshelves. She went nearly from one end to the other before she found what she was looking for, and then exclaimed loudly when she happened upon her prize, plucking a large, hardback book from one of the bottom shelves. "Here we go!"

She turned back and found Arthur watching the doorway from the kitchen, still not fully trusting the kettle to not jump off the worktop and come racing after them. "Arthur ... Dad," she said, in the gentle but firm voice that was more often used for tiny people who were questioning bedtime, or refusing to don their pyjamas. "The kettle isn't going to hurt you. The noise is just the water boiling. It's not sentient, not magical, it's powered with electricity and it is firmly under my control. I promise." She handed him the book. "Have a look at this. It explains how things work by mechanics and electricity. Maybe like the clockwork that you build into your clocks to tell the time?" she suggested.

"Oh no," Arthur said happily. "My clocks don't tell the time! We have wands for that! No," he continued. "My clocks tell you where people are and whether they're safe. Much more useful!"

Lauren was so surprised by this revelation that it took her a few moments to process it. Which wasn't a problem, because Arthur had taken the 'How It Works' book from her hands and was gleefully thumbing through the shiny pages.

"This is marvellous!" he exclaimed. "This will revolutionise my work! You see," he obediently got up when Lauren beckoned and followed her back into the kitchen as he continued chatting, "in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office we don't so much need to know what the muggle use of things is. We simply need to make sure that charmed and enchanted objects don't make their way into the muggle world. It's illegal to use magic on muggle objects," he explained, "and until my promotion it was my job to locate any muggle objects which had been enchanted and to undo any consequences that had."

"That sounds very interesting," Lauren said. This pleased Arthur enormously. Many at the Ministry thought his department was among the most boring. "But I thought you added magic to a car?" Lauren looked confused, remembering the conversation that they had had on the journey over from The Burrow. "Isn't that the very thing your office tried to prevent people doing?"

"Ah, indeed," said Arthur, tapping the side of his nose with his finger. "But, like lots of magic," he explained, "it's all about intention. See, I didn't intend to take the car out, so I wasn't doing anything wrong!"

Arthur looked very pleased with himself. Remembering more about the conversation in the car, and realising that this could get complex quickly, Lauren decided that further analysis of what she thought was a rather grey area, ethically speaking, might be better left for another day. Perhaps when she had back-up in the form of Charlie or Fred. She would sorely love to debate the ins and outs of wizarding ethics with Arthur, but it didn't seem quite fair.

"Alright then," she said, back in the kitchen. Lauren explained that the potatoes needed to be peeled and chopped into chunks for boiling, making it clear that she was happy for Arthur to use his wand. Arthur was equally clear that he was going 'full muggle' for the day. So she furnished him with the potato peeler and a small vegetable knife and gave him a thorough lesson in the use of both. "But take the potatoes outside. It'll take you a while, and you might as well enjoy the sun and keep Molly company. I'll bring your tea."

Having delivered two cups of tea to Molly and Arthur and taken Elliot a tippy cup containing dilute ribena – his treat for being good in the car – Lauren went back inside to make her own tea. She took a deep breath and smiled to herself as she heard Arthur outlining his tasks to Molly and demonstrating the potato peeler. He showed his wife the picture of the cube that he had asked Lauren to draw in his notebook, illustrating the size of potato chunk that he was aiming for. Lauren had truly never realised quite how exciting the making of potato salad could be. Or how much passion Arthur had for learning about the muggle world. And this was just the first stage; they still had to boil the potatoes and then mix in the mayonnaise and the chives.

"Thank you," said Molly, when Lauren came out again and sat down in a garden chair. When Lauren looked at Molly's face, her expression said more than a thousand words could have done. It might have looked to an outsider – and perhaps to Arthur himself – that Molly was thanking Lauren for the tea but, in that one look, Lauren could see Molly's gratitude for the way that Lauren had taken Arthur's interest seriously and not made fun of it.

"It's my pleasure," said Lauren, smiling back at Molly and wanting to let her know that she understood. It was easy to see how others may have made fun of Arthur's innocence and enthusiasm. "And now that Arthur has the potatoes under control, I'm going to give Charlie a quick ring and see where he's at."

Lauren took her phone from her pocket and clicked the number that would call her man. She was very much enjoying introducing Arthur to the muggle world, but it was clear that his eagerness was going to take her full attention. It was time to call in reinforcements.


	96. The secret shopping trip

Charlie picked up his coffee mug and clinked it with Hermione's teacup. They were sitting outside at a café in muggle Cardiff which Hermione had been told about by Seamus. It was run by a magical-muggle family and had a secure back room with a floo into which magical folk were welcome to arrive and leave, in return for a contribution towards the cost of floo powder. There was an unspoken expectation that people would also stop for tea and cake when they had time, thus supporting the café and allowing it to also operate as a legitimate muggle business. As a result, the friendly little establishment was almost always busy. The till had been magically altered to take either muggle or wizarding currency and it was one of a handful of businesses which had special dispensation from the highest levels of the British government to use a bit of creative accountancy when it came to the end of the tax year. The café's tax return was charmed so that it would be accepted by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs officers without question, and the owner regularly joked with friends that, if she could duplicate that spell and sell it to muggles, she would probably be the richest witch in Wales.

The ring buying had been surprisingly easy and far quicker than either had anticipated. Hermione had agreed with Charlie that Lauren wouldn't want anything flashy and, once they had got themselves to the right bit of the city, it was only ten minutes before they both spotted a simple engagement ring which featured celtic knotwork and a pretty emerald.

"That's the one," Charlie said, and Hermione immediately agreed.

"The pattern is just like the border of one of her quilts," she said, causing Charlie to exclaim out loud.

"I thought I recognised the design, but I couldn't place it!" he said. "Right, well," he continued, "now I need your advice on how to get the money to buy it."

"Easy," said Hermione, reaching for her handbag. "If you're sure that's the one, I can buy it right now on my muggle debit card and you can pay me back in galleons from your Gringotts vault. No rush." She took a minute to think, doing the sums in her head and, when she whispered into his ear to tell him how much it would cost in wizarding currency, Charlie nodded.

"Sounds fair. And that's a perfect solution," he said, "if you're sure that's okay?"

She was. And so, twenty minutes after that, they were settled at the café. There was a bag of Epsom salts and few more groceries that she had wanted to grab in passing under a cooling charm in Hermione's basket, and a small box in Charlie's pocket. He couldn't wait to give it to Lauren.

"It took everything I had not to cry," he confessed, as he stuck a fork into his lemon drizzle cake and told Hermione more of the story of how she had proposed to him. "Not because I'm afraid to cry," he added. "But it was just before Fred's speech and we didn't want everyone to know, for all sorts of reasons."

"Wow, and there we all were, eating our curries, oblivious!" Hermione said with a smile, which Charlie returned.

"We're not telling Mum and Dad tonight," he said, carefully sectioning another mouthful of cake. "We need a few days, at least. And I want to give Lauren the ring first." He patted his pocket. "I'll keep it with me until I find the right time."

Hermione mumbled her agreement through a buttered scone, which Charlie had insisted on buying her as a reward for her help.

He didn't mention that another part of the reason for keeping the news to themselves for a bit longer was that Elliot's revelation about Fleur's pregnancy meant that Molly and Arthur – and she and Fred – would already be getting one lot of exciting family news over dinner that evening. Charlie and Bill had each talked to their partners during the dancing at George and Angie's wedding reception the previous day, and then the two brothers had installed themselves at the bar. With the help of a firewhisky or two, they figured out the best way forward as far as sharing their news with Molly and Arthur was concerned.

When the men returned to find their partners, Lauren and Fleur had loved the idea of adding an extra surprise to Molly and Arthur's visit to the cottage. It was clear to all of them that, under the circumstances, the news needed to be shared with the rest of the family as soon as possible, and certainly before Friday, given the plans that they were cooking up for the Wizengamot. Fleur, however, expressed a bit of concern at Charlie's suggestion of inviting Fred and Hermione so that they could apparate Bill and Fleur to the cottage.

"Isn't it possible that Ginny will be upset when she finds out that Hermione knew before she did, and that she wasn't invited?" she had asked. Both Bill and Charlie had pulled a face.

"I didn't think of that," Bill confessed. He and Charlie conferred a bit more. Both men were certain that Percy, George and Ron wouldn't mind at all if they found out slightly later than the others, but Ginny was a different matter.

"But we're a big family," Charlie said, "and we don't exactly have time to wait for everyone to be together again..."

Bill nodded. They both knew that a public pregnancy announcement would be a big deal – in a good way – if it was done at the Ministry Ball, and that was just four days away now.

"I'm happy for you to invite as many of your family over as you like," Lauren said. "It's more a question of how you'll apparate them all? Only four of you know how to get to the cottage, and one of those will be busy with honeymoon duties…" She raised her eyebrows suggestively as she flicked her eyes towards George and Angie before turning back to Charlie. "I thought the idea was to invite your family over a few at a time until everyone knew how to get to us?"

"It was," Charlie agreed. But that was before Elliot had revealed Fleur's pregnancy. He, like several of his family members before him, had a sudden sense of how quickly events had been unfolding in the Weasley family in the past few weeks. It was enough to make anyone feel dizzy.

"This is an easy problem to solve," Fleur said, smiling. She turned to Lauren. "Do you have a private room in your house, perhaps a bedroom, that I might borrow when we are visiting?"

"Of course," Lauren replied, making a mental note to clear up her underwear before the evening. Charlie was really good at putting his clothes in the laundry basket, but she had a tendency to forget to check around and under the bed until it was time to do the weekly wash. "You're welcome to use my bedroom … OUR bedroom, sorry," she corrected, taking Charlie's hand and squeezing it, "if you need some privacy. Or we have a third bedroom that I use as an office, but it's small and not especially cosy." In fact, she thought, that was one of the rooms that she would be most excited to see in its enlarged form, if Arthur and his family did move and enlarge her cottage. More than anything, she would love more shelves in there, and it would be wonderful to be able to add a sofa on which she could curl up and read.

"Well then," Fleur said, turning to Bill. "I will simply excuse myself for a few minutes this evening just before we will tell them. I will borrow Lauren's bedroom and I will call Ginny." She patted her handbag, reminding him of their mirror phones. "I will tell her, explaining that I am about to tell Molly and that others are here but that I did not want her to find out later than them. I will ask her to tell Harry and Ron but to keep it to themselves until the next morning. Simple."

"You're a diplomatic genius, love," Bill growled into her ear, making her eyes close at the tone of his voice. His arm slipped around her back and she leaned into him, wondering whether it was even possible that her hormones could be increasing her desire for him just days into her pregnancy. Or perhaps it was just the energy of the wedding.

"Somebody needs to be, in a family the size of ours," Charlie chuckled, and Lauren smiled as well.

"That sounds like a good solution," she said. "I wouldn't want to be part of the cause of making anyone upset."

"If she's not busy," Bill said, "a few of us can soon apparate over to Grimmauld once we've told Mum and Dad and get her and Ron and Harry to join us for drinks…"

"I can suggest that when I talk to her," Fleur smiled.

Lauren looked quickly at Charlie and then delved into her handbag. Surreptitiously, she took out a pen and the small pad on which she wrote down important things that she wanted to remember. She jotted a couple of things onto it and then slipped it back into her bag.

"That's very sexy," he whispered into her ear.

Lauren gave him an enquiring frown. "Making a list?"

Charlie leaned closer. "Making a list that has 'knickers' and 'wine' on it." He raised his eyebrows. "What do you expect a man to think when his woman does such a thing?" he asked.

A smile broke across Lauren's face. She decided not to tell him she simply wanted to spare her own blushes and also be prepared with enough fizz to toast the parents-to-be in case they ended up with a bigger gathering than anticipated. Instead, she winked and moved her hand from his lower back, cupping his arse cheek and then giving it a gentle squeeze. "Well," she said, remembering one of their first nights together, in Romania, when he had dripped the remnants of their shared bottle of wine between her legs and then slowly lapped it up, "play your cards right and you might find out…"

Hermione smiled to herself as she sipped her tea, enjoyed her scone and watched Charlie thinking about all of this. She had no idea of the contents of his daydream, or what he was reminiscing about, but it made her smile to see him so happy. She tipped her head back slightly, enjoying the sun on her face. She was glad that she had come out; it was doing her good to be sat outside the café and enjoying a change of scene.

When, just a few moments later, Charlie's mirror phone rang, Hermione laughed to see how it made him jump. He answered, chatted to Lauren for a few moments and then hung up. "Dad's helping her make potato salad," he said. "And Lauren's not usually one to beat around the bush, but I'm pretty sure that's code for, 'hurry up home so we can share the load'. I'd better get on my way, love."

"Of course," said Hermione. "Thank you."

"And thank you," Charlie replied, patting his pocket. "Promise me you'll take things easy for the rest of the day?" She nodded her agreement. "There's nothing to do anyway," he continued. "You're with us for dinner and there's food and clean clothes so promise me you'll have a bath in that," he nodded to the Epsom salts, "and then just sit on the roof and enjoy the sun until Freddie comes home?"

"I will," replied Hermione, and she began to gather her things.

Charlie left payment and a generous tip on the table and offered Hermione his arm. Walking her back into the café and through to the back room, he dropped another coin into the jar on the mantlepiece and offered her the pot of floo powder.

"I'll go from the loo," he said. "Seems silly to waste powder when I'd only have to apparate home from yours anyway."

"Of course," she said, giving him a hug. "I feel much better now," she reassured him, taking a handful of floo powder and calling out the address of the flat's living room once she had stepped into the fireplace. Charlie waved until she had disappeared and then gave another wave to the witch at the counter before going into the gents. He headed into the specially adapted stall at the far end. It had been designed so that wizards could lock themselves in and then apply a special charm, whose incantation and wand movements were written on the door in what looked like toilet graffiti to the muggle eye. It was a clever set-up. Muggles could use the cubicle with no ill effects, but the spell served to silence the cubicle for a minute, allowing the wizard to apparate out. Then, as soon as the stall was empty and no muggles were present in the room, the door would unlock itself. The spell had originally been designed to keep the door closed until there were no humans in the room. However, a large queue of wizards had formed outside the cubicle on the day that an important quidditch match had been played nearby, and the resulting chaos had led to a hasty revision.

When Charlie landed in the back garden of the cottage that he now shared with Lauren, it was to find his mother seated on the purple sofa that he had transfigured a few days prior. Molly was wearing a large muggle floppy hat to protect her from the sun and had clearly been enjoying a cup of tea in a mug adorned with bunnies in red dresses. She was chatting with Elliot, who had returned to digging in his sandpit once he had announced Charlie's imminent arrival. Charlie kissed Elliot hello and then strode over and dropped a kiss on Molly's cheek before sitting down on a beanbag just across from her.

"Is it going well?" he asked.

Molly laughed. "It's going very well for me," she said, nodding her head towards her cup of tea and her feet, "but I suspect Lauren might be ready for a break by now. Did you get the food to Hermione?" she asked.

"I did," Charlie confirmed. "And she said thank you very much."

"Good," said Molly. "Get yourself a cup of tea, and I'll tell you what we've been doing."

"Alright, then." Charlie stood again and went into the house, wondering what he would find. Like all of his siblings, he was aware of his father's total love of all things muggle, and he suspected that, as Molly had indicated, Arthur might be quite exhausting.

He found Lauren in their bedroom, scooping clothes into the laundry basket and giving it a quick tidy. "Hello love," he said. "Is everything alright? Have you been back long?" he asked.

Lauren stood, using the corner of a chest of drawers for support, and turned to hug him. "It's going well," she laughed, stroking his cheek. "We've been back an hour or so. I imagine you've seen your mum in passing?" Charlie nodded. "I've left your dad looking at books and deciding what he'd like to borrow. I just wanted to get it tidy in here," she said, "and we're making potato salad. The potatoes are cooling before we mix it all together. Your dad's in charge," she smiled, biting the side of her lip in amusement.

Charlie looked around the room. "It looks OK in here?"

"Yeah," she agreed, taking his offered hand. "It looks as good as it's going to get, given my congenital messiness. Let's see how he's doing."

As they walked down the hallway, Arthur emerged from the living room, beaming with delight. He held his hands out, showing Charlie the spiral-bound notebook and biro that Lauren had presented him with. "Look! Lauren gave me a special muggle book to take notes in! And a pen with multiple inks. Fred and George are going to want to make a magical version of this, I just know it!"

The younger couple met each other's eyes with a smile. "Not only is that the best forty-nine pence I've ever spent," Lauren told Charlie in a whisper, as Arthur headed off to show Molly what he had written, "but he is going to be the easiest member of your family to buy Christmas presents for each year. I'm going to go down the pound shop, buy him twenty random muggle things and then wrap them individually in a lucky dip. Which is, in case you don't have those in the wizarding world, a box full of torn up paper in which you hide a load of small presents."

Charlie closed his eyes, shook his head and laughed. "There are no words," he said. "I think you'll win Christmas forever, in his eyes."

"As long as he's happy."

"Happy? He's like a dragon in coriander!" Charlie stood back to let Lauren enter the kitchen before him. She poured Charlie a cup of tea, pointed to one particular cupboard. Charlie smiled, knowing exactly what she was suggesting.

They went outside and further delighted Arthur with the packet of muggle custard cream biscuits. Elliot insisted on joining them and showing Arthur his preferred way of eating them, which was to twist each one apart, nibble out the sweet filling and then discard the biscuit pieces before reaching for another.

"I think we'll let Grandad Arthur decide how to eat his, now that you've shown him one, thank you," Lauren said, gently taking his arm. Elliot had very little impulse control and would, given half a chance, dissect and eat the middles out of several of the treats before declaring that he had a tummy ache. Molly stepped in to help again, showing Elliot how she liked to dunk her biscuit in her tea.

"You have to be careful," she told her grandson, picking up a piece of discarded biscuit and gently dipping it in her own tea before offering it to Elliot, who eagerly opened his mouth for it, like a baby bird. "If you take it out too soon, it's not soft enough, but if you leave it too long, it falls in!" She pulled a shocked face at the thought, making Elliot laugh.

"I like that we have that in common," Lauren said, dunking her own biscuit. "You don't have a perfectly-timed biscuit dunking spell then?"

Molly looked horrified. "Oh Gods, no," she exclaimed, making a mental note to retell this shocking thought to Minerva and Poppy when they next met. "Some things are too sacred to be left to magic!"

Lauren shook her head and laughed. "I will never grow tired of having these conversations with you," she said, causing Molly to tip her head to one side and pat the younger woman affectionately.

"What have you learned so far then?" Charlie asked his dad.

"Well," said Arthur, looking excited again. "I've done some cooking, as you know. And then I started in the living room," he showed Charlie a map that he had drawn, showing the location of the electrical points. Charlie wasn't sure whether that was some kind of practical preparation for the possible cottage move, or just Arthur indulging his love of electricity. "And when Elliot's ready for a rest," he continued, "he and I are going to watch the telly on the sofa." Charlie smiled at the realisation that Lauren had already been correcting and expanding his vocabulary.

"That'll be quite soon, I think," Lauren said, giving Charlie a significant look. Elliot had had an exciting morning and she was keen to get him down for a nap in the hope that he wouldn't be too much that evening. "In fact, I think, when you've had your drink, we should show Grandad how we watch cartoons and fall asleep in the afternoons."

"Oh, Grandad likes falling asleep in the afternoons too," said Molly, managing to keep a serious look on her face for Elliot's benefit. "Usually in his shed," she added.

Twenty minutes later, Elliot was asleep on Arthur with Mr Rabbit's ear snuggled against his cheek, and the wizard carefully stood up and carried his grandson to his bedroom for Lauren. They tucked him in, placing Mr Rabbit next to him, and Arthur offered to place a one-way silencing spell around the room so that Elliot wouldn't be woken by noise from the kitchen.

"That would be great," Lauren whispered. "Charlie does those and they're brilliant."

"What's your favourite spell so far?" Arthur asked her, and Lauren tipped her head to one side.

"Gosh," she said, "that's such a good question, and I'd have to think. I mean, apparition is amazing." Lauren drew out the final word, still in awe at how magical people could transport themselves and others at the flick of a wand. "I like it better now I can do it without being sick," she laughed. "And I quite like summoning spells for laziness; when we sit outside and Charlie can get me another glass of something without having to get up." She shook her head, marvelling at her new world again. "I don't know, Dad," she said, after another few seconds. "It's still all rather new to me, and I learn so much every day. Ask me again at Christmas," she joked, as they reached the kitchen and she opened the fridge. "I'll make you a top ten by then!"

It was hard to say which of the elder Weasleys enjoyed the afternoon more. Molly was having a wonderful time. She had brought some muggle knitting needles and two or three balls of soft green wool and was working on a dragon-themed cardigan for Elliot. A few days prior, Elliot had been allowed to pick the colour, and chose one that he said was closest to Inardoe. Lauren had been captivated to see how Molly's magical needles worked at The Burrow, but the witch had explained that her enchanted knitting employed exactly the same movements as muggle needles and she was able to knit by hand as well. "Magic just makes it faster," Molly explained, "although I'll confess that in some ways I find it more satisfying to do it with my own hands."

"I can relate to that," Lauren had replied. "I like hand sewing the best. I do have a sewing machine," she waved her head in the direction of the living room, "but it stays in the cupboard for the most part."

Molly's delight was further increased by the fact that, once he was home, Charlie set to work in the garden, which meant that he chatted to her for the hour that Arthur and Lauren were preparing the food. He had sought Lauren's permission to use magic to do the things that needed doing before their guests arrived; cutting the lawn, tidying Elliot's toys, transfiguring more garden seating and tables and setting up a large barbeque on which he would grill their food.

But Arthur had a marvellous time as well, and he diligently made notes on his spiral notebook of everything he had seen, done and learned. He couldn't wait for Fred, Bill, Fleur and Hermione to arrive for dinner so he could tell them about his day.

And then, just after three, while Lauren was out at the off licence, secretly picking up another couple of bottles of fizz to celebrate the evening's news, a different kind of news arrived at her cottage when two different owls swooped down into her garden. One headed for Arthur and Molly and the other flew to Charlie. Both owls dropped letters from the Ministry in front of the recipients.

"Oh my," exclaimed Arthur, once he had read the contents. He turned to Molly, as Charlie had nipped into the kitchen for owl treats, and she raised her eyebrows, nodding in anticipation of what he was going to say. "This IS interesting…"


End file.
